Is Your Senior Experiencing Trouble Sleeping Due to Dementia?
Home Care Indianapolis: Is Dementia the Cause of Sleeping Disorders?
Many aging adults who have dementia can also have difficulty sleeping. Much of this occurs because of changes to your senior’s daily routine, but it can also be a factor of other issues.
Get a Routine in Place for Sleeping and Waking
Solid sleeping and waking routines are an excellent way to help your elderly family member to get her circadian rhythms back on track. Basic sleep routines are going to involve having a set time for going to bed as well as a set time for waking up. Ease your elderly family member into going to bed by having a series of activities she follows in order to help her wind down for the evening.
Introduce Lots of Natural Light
When natural light is available, it’s a great way to help your senior to get her sleep and wake rhythms back on track. If natural light isn’t easy to get, look into lighting that mimics daylight. Some of these lights are used to treat seasonal affective disorder and when used for short periods of time they can help in the same way sunlight does.
Get Some Physical Activity Together
If your senior’s doctor recommends that she gets some exercise in every day that can help her to sleep better at night. Start out slowly with small amounts of increased activity and gradually ramp up that activity level. You might find that exercising with your elderly family member helps you to feel a little sleepier when it’s time for bed, too.
Make Sure She’s Comfortable in Bed
Having an uncomfortable bed or bedroom atmosphere can make sleeping incredibly difficult for your aging adult. Talk to her about whether her bedroom is comfortable for her at night. There might be too much light or too much noise keeping her awake. She might also find the room to be too cold or too warm when she’s trying to sleep.
Enlist Some Overnight Help
For some aging adults who have dementia, waking up overnight is just normal. Depending on what she needs when she wakes up, you might find that your sleep is constantly being interrupted. Consider hiring home care providers who can take the overnight shift for you so that you can sleep. Your elderly family member will have someone who can help her and you’ll be fresh and rested for the next day.
Always make sure that you talk with your aging family member’s doctor about what she’s experiencing. There may be a medical explanation for the sleep trouble that she’s having. Once you know what she’s dealing with, you can formulate a solution.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering home care in Indianapolis, please call the caring staff at Home Services Unlimited. Serving Greater Indianapolis Area. Call for Immediate Info & Assistance: (317) 471-0760
As a practicing Registered Nurse, Etelka was keenly aware of a void in quality patient care that could be provided in the home. She embarked upon a journey to develop a home health care agency that would exceed all expectations and become a trusted partner to physicians and patients.
A Distinguished Career From Nurse to Director of Nursing to President of Home Services Unlimited
Etelka’s distinguished career followed a logical progression to her position as President of Home Services Unlimited. She graduated as a nurse practitioner with a Bachelor of Nursing (RN) in 1972 from Meshgorya University in the Ukraine, close to where she lived with her family. She married her husband Phil in 1973 and decided in 1977 that they would relocate to the United States to be closer to family and to come to this land of opportunity. With an eagerness to continue her budding career, Etelka sat for and passed her Boards in the U.S. in 1979.
A Love and Talent for Working with the Elderly
Etelka began her nursing career in the U.S. at Colonial Crest, now part of Golden Living, where she was the In-service Coordinator, the Director of Training and Education and Director of Nursing, a position she occupied for several years.
With a group of partners, she co-founded Adept Corporation, which operated group homes for the mentally challenged. The business was successful and in 1996, Etelka sold her share to return to her roots, caring for the elderly.
In January of 1997, Etelka opened Home Services Unlimited as a fully licensed business to provide home health care. In her quest to learn to do better for her patients, she had already obtained a Masters in Healthcare Administration (MHA) in May of 1990 from the College of St. Francis. As President of Home Services Unlimited, Inc., Etelka guides the trusted, experienced care model Home Services Unlimited uses to continue providing excellent home health care.
Giving Back to the Community of Indianapolis
Volunteering for community services is a high priority for Etelka. Her memberships include the Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Executive Women in Health Care and the Indiana Association for Home and Hospice Care, where she is a member of the Board of Directors.
Etelka has also served on the Board of Directors with Hooverwood Home, a highly regarded geriatric facility, since 1997 and as the President for 2005-2006. Through her community work, she has received several awards and accolades, including the Nora McFarland award in 2002, from the Indiana Association of Home and Hospice Care.
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