Sundowning - Changes when new people arrive

momsdaughter82 · July 24

Hi, my 80 yr mom seems to be having some severe sundowing with Agitation and hallucinations . On the worst nights, we have gone to intervene for my step dad. When my husband walks in (or EMS or police) she seems to snap back into reality and becomes herself again. Is this normal?

SDianeL · July 25

yes. They can showtime temporarily when others are around. Have your Dad read the book “The 36 Hour Day” which helped me after my husband’s diagnosis. There are usually triggers to anxiety. He should try to redirect her or distract her. Search online for dementia sundowning caregiving tips. Ask her doctor for medication to help her with the agitation and hallucinations. So sorry you and your Dad are going through this.

harshedbuzz · July 25

@momsdaughter82

Yes. This is sundowning. It's when a PWD can very temporarily get their act together and appear relatively normal for a short time.

For caregivers, this presents a real challenge to effective advocacy as the people you need to witness this behavior— first responders and doctors— are the ones for whom they will perform. When dad's Oscar-worthy showtiming interfered with his doctor seeing what mom was trying to manage at home, I made a video recording with my phone which I sent to the doctor electronically to unlock the medication dad needed to be safe in his own home.

Your mom likely needs some powerful medication to dial back the emotions driving this behavior. If her PCP or neurologist are not willing to prescribe the sort of meds effective for this, you'll need a geriatric psychiatrist. There are 2 routes to seeing a geri psych. The faster one is via a geri psych unit admission via the emergency department. If you can't make that happen, this can be managed outpatient if your community has a geri psych available.

HB