If a loved one wanders during the night you need to make sure that the primary daytime caregiver is able to sleep. This requires either a very safe room for your loved one to wander in, or else another person to care for your loved one at night. Never restrain your loved one in bed but you can consider wander alarms to let you know of their sudden change in mobility. Consult with your doctor about the issue so they address any medical changes going on with your love one.
What you can do to help is:
- Encourage exercise and activity during the day. This can make they eat more and tired at night to sleep.
- Monitor their medications. Some interfere with sleep when taken in the evening. Discuss with the doctor.
- Secure the doors at night so your loved one does not wander outside, especially in the cold and with no clothes on. Many times they are so confused they go looking for home in the middle of the night.
- Get the “safe return medic alert bracelet” for your loved one, through the Alzheimer’s Association. Their information is entered into a national data base so they can be returned with they are found wandering outside.
- Make sure you get the rest you need. Hire a profes- sional caregiver to stay with your loved one at night.
- For more information on how to deal with the difficult behaviors of Alzheimer’s and Dementia contact Family Caregivers Network.