Knocking on closed doors

Kido24

Hi. I recently joined by referral of my Mom's Pcp. She's 94 and we recently moved in with her to keep an eye on her. Not yet sure if it's old age or mild dementia but she has a habit of scaring me half to death by knocking loudly on the door and when I open it she says she wasn't sure anyone was in there even though the light was on, etc. It has twice happened at nighttime and she gets weirder at night and moody. Any thoughts or information appreciated.

Emily 123

Hi,

People with dementia can tend to run down as the day goes on and become more confused. It can be called ‘sundowning’. You can see threads about it by using the search icon up on the right hand side of the page.

It does sound like she’s having trouble hanging on to the memory of you being in the home. You might want to try to put a reminder on the door for her, to see if that helps. If she’s not able to retain that information she’s likely confused as well about any changes to the house and her routine that are occurring. Try to let her stick to her usual daily schedule as much as possible, as that will help her feel settled and less confused.

SusanB-dil

Hi kido24 - welcome to 'here', but sorry for the reason. Lots of help and support here.

I agree with Emily. Just want to add that MIL is easily confused any time there is disruption of her routine, too. But also, if she is 'wandering', make sure she doesn't wander right outside when nobody is watching.

Kido24

Thank you both so much. These comments are spot on and much appreciated. We will try to keep her routine the same as before so she will be less stressed and not get so upset. God bless.