Should I stay up

prov1kenobi

Like all of us, we need our sleep. my wife and I normally go to bed around 9 or 10. We are caregivers for my brother. I am a fairly light sleeper. My dog wakes me up at night so I can let him out….when I do, i can hear my brother walking around the main floor of his house. Is it safe for us to sleep while he wanders about, or should one of us stay up with him

terei

I would consider putting in cameras in his area so you can keep tabs on him as long as he is not getting into mischief or can exit the house.

Even when LOs are in MC, they get up + do all sorts of things that may or may not need someone’s attention.   

I certainly would not consider having someone stay up with him, which could very well encourage him to continue to do this as well as negatively affect the health of whomever is doing this. 

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GwendolynD

The cameras are really nice to have.  My LO that I am caring for has LBD and she is often up at night in her master bedroom.   On the recommendation of a caregiver that I hired, we installed a baby monitor that has both video and sound (that my LO does not know is there) which allows me to get a lot more rest.  Before that, I was barely getting any sleep because I'd be up all night checking on her whenever I heard a noise.  I can at least remain in bed and look at the camera now.  For the time being, this is good.  I'm sure I'll need to do more as the situation progresses....

ladyzetta

I think the camaras are a very good idea. As long as he has not shown any thing that has you worried, you may want to continue to get your sleep. The time will come that he shows there is a reason. With you being a light sleeper, you will know when he is up so if you have a camera, you will be able to watch him. My biggest worry would be if he could get out of the house. Take care.

prov1kenobi

we have already moved all of his all of his handguns, rifles, and shotguns out of his house. So far, he has not shown any violent tendencies. there is a sensor light/camera that will detect any movement outside of his house, and which will alert us if he goes outside

LaurenB

I'd encourage you to also remove any medications or chemicals that could be ingested, locking the stove, watch out for tripping hazards.  Essentially, it is better to be proactive in preventing an accident rather than reacting to preventable situation.

Arrowhead

I strongly suggest that you put alarms and/or Alzheimer's proof locks on the exterior doors so he doesn't wander away from home.

prov1kenobi

My wife has pulled all of his medications and has them in our room. This includes all the meds he is currently taking, and at least 5 plastic bags full of over-the-counter meds that my brother had 9n his house. AND, all of his guns and ammo has been taken out of here. The stove cannot be locked as far as I know. BUT, what about kitchen knives and the like ?

ladyzetta

will the knobs come off of the stove?

AlexandriaAlz

Agreed, take all safety precautions and try to create a safe "zone" where he can't leave if he is wandering or get in any trouble if he's rummaging. Confounding locks/alarms on any doors where he could exit the zone. We use the Wyze cameras for my dad. They're great, pretty inexpensive, great night vision and multiple people can log into them on their phones/tablets/computers. I live far away and I use it to check to make sure my dad's not sleeping when I call him. When i'm in town with him I have the motion notifications on my phone only during certain hours of the night so, like someone said above, I can just check what he's up to on my phone rather than staying up all night listening for him or getting out of bed when I don't need to. We have that set up on his ipad for his home care aides as well, just like a baby monitor.