For seniors night time can cause a lot of anxiety. Often seniors are alone at night because their adult children or caregivers have gone home. Whether your senior parent has lost a partner and is not used to being alone at night or whether they just worry about being alone in case they fall or have a medical emergency it’s very common for seniors to develop anxiety at night. That anxiety can cause seniors to have insomnia or other sleeping problems and that lack of sleep can really damage their health. But seniors don’t have to live with night time anxiety. There are things that can be done to alleviate that anxiety at night like:
24-Hour Home Care
24-hour home care is the best option for seniors that have anxiety at night. If your senior is really nervous to be alone 24-hour home care will ensure that someone is always with your senior loved one even overnight. When a caregiver is there overnight seniors have someone to talk with, someone to help them if they fall, and someone to monitor any health equipment that they need at night like supplemental oxygen or a CPAP machine. Just knowing that someone is there to help them if they need it can give seniors the peace of mind they need to sleep through the night without waking up because of anxiety all night long.
A Bedtime Routine
Another thing that can help seniors alleviate anxiety at night is a bedtime routine. A regular bedtime routine will help seniors calm down and relieve their anxiety by providing a familiar sequence of tasks that will help the senior calm their mind and get ready to sleep. Each senior is different so each senior needs to create their own bedtime routine according to their interests and what works for them. But often a bedtime routine starts with journaling or a meditation, then involves a shower or a bath, and then getting ready to go to bed and sleep.
Safety Upgrades
Installing some safety upgrades in your senior loved one’s bedroom can make them feel less anxious by giving them peace of mind. Your senior parent won’t be worrying all the time about falling or about what would happen if the power went out if you have installed battery operated LED lighting all along the floor to light the way to the bathroom for example. Or if you have installed motion activated lights that will go off as soon as they get out of bed so they will have light to see even if they can’t reach the light switch.
A Voice Assistant Device
A voice activated assistant is something every senior should have in their bedroom. A voice activated assistant can do things like turn on smart lights, monitor the fire alarm and carbon monoxide alarm, even lock all the doors if your senior loved one has smart locks. Seniors can also have the voice activated device play music, tell them the news, or call you or your siblings. It will give you and your senior parent the peace of mind of knowing that they will be able to call for help if they need it.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering Personal Care at Home in Winston-Salem, NC please contact the caring staff at Affordable Family Care. Serving Raleigh, Greensboro, and the surrounding areas in North Carolina. Call today 919-676-1070.
