Hi everyone.
We are having sleep problems. We live with mum in law 96, she has a memory test due in January, I am convinced she has Lewy Body Dementia.
Over several days/nights she had no sleep during the day, very muddled and confused as usual, then at night, no sleep at all, talking, shouting seeing people, birds, trying to get out of bed ( disabled) and verbally rude.
This has now turned into sleeping continuously day and night, carers managed to wake her enough to do personnel care and to give her breakfast, then she is sleeping again practically to the next.day.Surely this isn’t normal? just got herself over tired?
Any advice please.
Hi Elodie,
I would have thought that anyone, with or without LBD would sleep more after a period of poor or no sleep.
However, if her sleep doesn’t improve, it’s worth contacting MIL’s GP or consultant as medication may help - and decent sleep will help you all to function better.
What are your plans for MIL’s care going forward? Many carers find that continual disrupted sleep is not sustainable and begin to research residential care.
Melly1
What I’m about to write will be upsetting. I think you need to Google “signs of dying”. I did this when my mum was very ill, tears pouring down my face, I now know I had spotted the beginning of the end. For the next two years mum seemed to get better, then worse, many times, very gradually on a downhill slide. If you search as suggested you will find excellent articles about the way the body gradually shuts down, written by people from the hospice movement. How to manage the situation was so much easier with this knowledge.
Thanks for replies.
I had to give up my job and we have moved in with M I L, her wish is to stay at home and that is what she will do, i realise she was deprived of sleep due to the disturbed nights but we have had them before but never like this, again she has slept all day today, just waking enough for food and p/care, seems to be a new pattern forming, i have thought of end of life and wondered if this is the beginning, nurse came to, did not seem concerned, but i am, i just wondered if anyone had come across it before,
The nurses I came across with all four parents were not very good at explaining things, hence my suggestion.
Googled as suggested, very useful info, also sleep patterns and it’s possible it is a stage of dementia. so will be contacting GP
tomorrow may be lucky to get a phone call.
Thanks Bowling and Melly.
This is a very difficult time, so try to make some “me” time.
Usually I suggest a beauty treatment, hair treatment or similar, all impossible at the moment!
Hey,
The person I care for has had vascular dementia for the last four years. Over this time she has had episodes similar to what you have described. She was sleeping almost for days at a time but it seemed like for most of the time she wasn’t really sleeping deeply. She was constantly talking and mumbling …like stuck in that stage before you actually fall into a proper sleep. I think she was probably exhausted because she wasn’t getting a proper restful sleep for days at a time. She was extremely confused and aggravated for the short times she was awake. She was hearing people singing that weren’t there, seeing people and what she thought was things on fire. This went on for a few weeks on a few different occasions. I don’t know fully why this happens and it hasn’t happened for months now. It was scary at the time but on a positive note for us each time the episodes have subsided and she has been on better form afterwards.
Wishing you all the best x
This sounds very much like my Mum’s final weeks and she was 96 too. She slept and slept and when she was awake was very agitated, calling out, repeating certain phrases over and over again and even trying to get out of bed even though she couldn’t walk and barely had the strength to lift her head from the pillow. It’s a worrying and distressing time.
Elodie, when did your caree last see a doctor?