Daylight saving time could be disorienting for people With Alzheimer's or dementia. Here's how to help your loved ones.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — This weekend, everyone will be turning back their clocks by one hour. Daylight saving time officially ends at 2 a.m. on Nov. 3.
While many of us appreciate the extra hour of sleep, some individuals with Alzheimer's or dementia could experience difficulty adjusting to the changes in their daily environment and routine.
Sara Murphy, vice president for the Alzheimer's Association Greater Pennsylvania Chapter, says our loved ones could be more disoriented during the first days after the clock change, even lasting throughout that whole first week. Murphy says there are several ways caregivers can be proactive in preparing their family members for the change.
"During those initial days of change, what is so important though is for that care partner to be proactive and plan ahead," says Murphy. "For example, if they are living alone or they don't have someone kind of monitoring that, making sure even with the clock having it automatically change for them. Thinking ahead is so important to eliminate any unnecessary confusion to something that is going to be confusing naturally due to the change in the time."
Murphy says individuals with Alzheimer's and dementia also experience "sundowning." The Alzheimer's Association defines sundowning as increased confusion that individuals living with Alzheimer's and dementia can experience from dusk through night.
"When we think about this, when we think about sundowning, with that syndrome, we typically do see the increased confusion and agitation later in the day, typically when we start to see the impacts of the time change," says Murphy. "We do know that it can increase because of that person's ability to even understand what is happening."
Murphy says trying to reason or explain it to them might not be worth it.
"When we talk about someone with that short-term memory loss, the ability for them to understand it and say 'okay, that makes sense,' and then maybe twenty minutes later they might not have recalled that information."
Murphy says it all comes down to what caregivers can control.
"You can control how you are handling it, your behavior and nonverbal communication, keeping things calm and consistent, and being able to control the environment," says Murphy. "Making sure there is a lot of light towards the early evening hours and making sure they are walking and getting their exercise and natural sunlight. It might be an hour earlier than usual, but it typically evens out. It's just those first few days and that week that can increase confusion with the inconsistency."
The Alzheimer's Association has more resources available on sleep issues and sundowning over on their website.
KDKA-TV Producer Ashley Funyak contributed to this report.
