Sundowners. I thought it was a familiar medical condition. I use the term often in reference to the current president’s behavior and family history of Alzheimer’s. To my surprise, there is not a general awareness of sundowners.
Sundowning is increased confusion that people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia may experience from dusk through night. Also called “sundowner’s syndrome,” it is not a disease but a set of symptoms or dementia-related behaviors that may include difficulty sleeping, anxiety, agitation, hallucinations, pacing and disorientation.
Music can be a beneficial tool in managing sundowning. Music therapy, or simply listening to familiar and calming music, can help to reduce these symptoms and improve overall well-being.
I have friends who have described caregiving for their parents with dementia. Sundowning can start to kick in as early as 4:00 pm in the afternoon and last through the night. In the morning, the parent is fine but in the evening, a different unrecognizable persona emerges, often violent and confused. This leaves the offspring guilt ridden and frustrated. Perhaps it’s those emotions that limit how much this is discussed.
We hear of different forms of dementia, Robin Williams – Lewy body Dementia, Bruce Willis has Aphasia – frontotemporal dementia. Ronald Regan succumbed Alzheimer’s disease is a specific type of dementia. Jay Leno is the currently caretake for his wife Mavis who is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s. It’s all around us.
In 2022, 4.0% of adults aged 65 and older in the United States reported having been diagnosed with dementia. This figure increased with age, from 1.7% in those aged 65-74 to 13.1% in those aged 85 and older. The percentage also decreased with higher education levels, from 7.9% in those with less than a high school diploma to 2.2% in those with a college degree or higher.
A friend’s mother had Alzheimer’s and she said one of the hardest things was her mother was brilliant and very aware that her cognitive abilities were leaving her. The doctor described Alzheimer’s as a house with one light going off at a time and rooms going totally dark. Those lights will never come on again. Robin Williams committed suicide at the age of 63; perhaps he was well aware of the dimming lights and chose to turn them all off.
Dementia is different than memory loss. Normal age-related memory loss might involve forgetting names, dates, or occasionally misplacing items, while dementia involves more persistent and severe memory problems that interfere with daily tasks. June is Alzheimer’s Awareness month. I had no idea of that when I started this. In my mind June is Pride month, Juneteenth, Summer Break. Ground breaking Research is ongoing for Alzheimer’s treatment. But, it’s not there yet.
Alzheimer’s is in the top 10 causes of death; there are more deaths from Alzheimer’s than diabetes. The saying is, if you know, you know. This week, if you don’t know about dementia and Alzheimer’s, do a few searches on dementia, sundowners and Alzheimer’s.
Balancing on Unstable Surfaces 