OTTAWA, SEPTEMBER 19, 2006 -- During the day, dementia sends an 86-year-old woman into bouts of confusion but it’s worse at night. She awakes in the dark, is terrified and doesn’t know where she is or who’s with her. Another woman the same age also fears the night. She is paranoid about who might know she lives alone and if they’ll break into her home. Causes for these fears can be physical or psychological, but night can be a frightening time for seniors, especially those living alone.

“The seniors we serve often face challenges at night that can disturb their sleep as well as their peace of mind,” says Mark Sullivan, who operates Home Instead Senior Care in Ottawa. “Companionship can often dispel that. One of the reasons our caregivers provide overnight care for seniors is to assist with the anxiety that can set in at night.”

Many of the problems that occur with seniors at night are rooted in physical changes taking place as a result of aging. Those issues are often connected to sleep disorders.

“Night fright is very real,” says Dr. Colin Shapiro, who runs the sleep clinic at Toronto Western Hospital. “It’s a common problem like that of sundown for those who suffer from dementia or who have cognitive problems and get confused in the evening. They wake up frightened and can lose their perspective.”

Dr. Shapiro said ‘nocturnal panic’ can be very serious and is a type of panic attack. He said there are changes in the oxygen requirements with different levels of sleep and as the body adapts to another level it could trigger such an attack. Then there are REM (rapid eye movement) behaviour disorders.

“This is when people act out their dreams,” he said. “They think there is a robber in the house so they try to strangle them, which becomes Night Fright times two if they are taking this out on their bed partner. There are solutions to all these disorders, but first one must understand the cause.”

Remedies like sleep medications are on the market, but might not be the answer for everyone since they can make seniors confused and disoriented. And such symptoms are no help to people who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Those two conditions in particular wreak havoc at night in the lives of both seniors and their family caregivers and often force seniors from their homes into nursing homes or care communities. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Companionship and extra help at night can be the answer.

For example, Home Instead Senior Care, which is the world’s largest provider of non-medical care for seniors, provides caregivers to help with a variety of non-medical tasks, including companionship and overnight care.

“The 86-year-old woman with dementia who awakes at night can be reassured by an overnight caregiver,” says Mark Sullivan of Home Instead Senior Care. “For the woman who was constantly afraid of being robbed at night, extra efforts can be made to secure her home -- like lighting the front and back of her house. Those kinds of added extras can make the difference between seniors having peace of mind or being afraid in their own homes.”

In a 2005 Gallup poll of 1,000 adults over the age of 50, less than a third of those surveyed (32 percent) reported getting a good night’s sleep all seven days of the week. Respondents ranked good sleep as more important than interpersonal relationships. The poll revealed a number of factors to explain sleep problems -- and one of them was worry.

About Home Instead Senior Care

In Canada, Home Instead Senior Care has 19 independently owned locations in five provinces. There are 11 in Ontario -- eight in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as in Ottawa, Peterborough and Waterloo. Five are in B. C. -- Burnaby, Kelowna, Port Coquitlam, Victoria and White Rock. There are also locations in Edmonton, Halifax and Charlottetown. Services include companionship, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and escorts for errands and shopping. Home Instead Senior Care services are available at home or in care facilities from a few hours per week up to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This year Home Instead Senior Care received the Best Employer Award for 50-Plus Canadians from the Canadian Association for the Fifty-Plus (CARP). Home Instead Senior Care also offers an Alzheimer’s training program to its caregivers; this training program is the first of its kind for non-medical caregivers.

Home Instead Senior Care is the world’s largest provider of non-medical home care and companionship services for seniors with more than 625 independently-owned-and-operated franchises in Canada, the U. S., Japan, Portugal, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the U. K., Spain, and Taiwan. For more information about the company and its franchise owners visit www.homeinstead.com

Ten ways to help seniors avoid night fright

These tips from Home Instead Senior Care and senior care professionals can help older adults feel more secure at night.

1. Encourage seniors to obtain a lifeline, which is a button they can push to summon medical help if they need it.
2. At night play soft music which has a calming effect.
3. Install night lights to make it easier for seniors to see when they get up at night.
4. Light the outside of the house and set timers to activate some indoor lights. Older adults feel more secure knowing their house is illuminated.
5. Let your older loved ones know they can call you. Put your number or that of another family member or friend on speed dial.
6. Reassure them the house is secure and rehearse them on the process to make sure their doors and windows are locked.
7. Make sure the interior of the house is safe by installing grab bars and get rid of throw rugs.
8. Consider climate control but make sure the house isn’t too hot or too cold.
9. Encourage a set routine which helps a senior feel less anxious.
10. Hire a caregiver who can provide assistance from a few hours a day to 24 hours, seven days a week.


Info from Home Instead Senior Care
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