Is it normal/OK for a 92 year old female to spend most of the day sleeping? Is that pretty much what 90+ year olds do or should I challenge this as a carer and try to change it. Unfortunately she is unreceptive to all attempts to encourage her to occupy her mind with previous activities such as a crossword or favourite TV programs.
My mother used to take a nap in the afternoon on her bed and listen to the radio. Later on she lost most of her sight so couldn’t read or watch TV. Often she would close her eyes but swear she was still awake.
Maybe her body Is just gradually shutting down?
I would suggest you Google “Signs of Dying”, NOT because I think death is imminent, but because when I did this when my own mum was ill. In fact, mum didn’t die until about 3 years later. With the information I found, it meant that I understood the process so much better.
An easy example was to read that old people don’t die because they don’t get enough to eat. As the body doesn’t work as well as it used to, it automatically knows that the organs can only cope with a certain amount. So a body may not drink as much as it used to as it knows the kidneys won’t cope.
Therefore it would be wrong to make someone drink or eat more than they want to. A little and often might be better, giving the person the choice whether or not they want it.
The articles are written by people with years of experience in the hospice movement easy to read.
Ask her why she doesn’t want to do crosswords or watch tv anymore
Elderly people loose their sense of thirst and so may become dehydrated.
Bear this in mind if she drinks little.