4 Ways to Support Someone with Dementia When the Clocks Change
How you can help someone with dementia feel at ease when the clocks change.
REJOICE, British Summer Time starts this Sunday!
While losing an hour’s sleep is nobody’s favourite thing, most of us are likely looking forward to the extra daylight and the start of spring.
Changing the clocks can be confusing, and most people have probably fallen victim to some daylight-saving-related scheduling confusion at one time or another.
But, it can be especially disorientating for people living with dementia, who may struggle with awareness of time.
At Merry Maids UK, we’ve spent the last year working closely with our charity of the year, Alzheimer’s Society to attend dementia training workshops so that all of our cleaners nationwide are equipped and specially trained to support our customers across the UK living with dementia.
In this blog post, we’re sharing their expertise on ways to support someone with dementia when the clocks change.
How the clocks changing can affect people with dementia
As our days get longer and brighter, people with dementia may find it harder to differentiate between 6 PM and 6 PM.
This disrupts their circadian rhythm and makes it hard for them, and those who care for them to ensure they get enough sleep.
Losing sleep can lead to irritability, tiredness, and sometimes even distress, which can be exacerbated if their routines are impacted.
They may forget when to eat, or take their medication or not know when their favourite TV show is on.
But the good news is, there are simple things you can do to help people living with dementia through these changes, to ensure minimal disruption and distress.
Start their evening routine an hour earlier
Consider starting your evening earlier on Saturday, including having dinner and going to bed an hour earlier.
This will ensure that the person you’re caring for still gets enough sleep and can wake up at their usual time on Sunday and that their routine will only be different for an evening rather than the whole day.
Keep to a routine
Keeping to a regular routine during the day and at bedtime can help to regulate a disrupted body clock.
It helps if these are associated with other everyday tasks such as going for a walk after breakfast.
Doing this consistently will help a person with dementia to make sense of the time.
Keep Active
Gentle exercise during the day can help the person feel sleepier during the evening, meaning they’ll go to bed at their usual time.
If this isn’t an option, keeping them active during the day can have a similar effect and using blackout curtains to reduce sunlight in the evenings can help with body clock regulation, too.
Look into auto-setting clocks
You may want to invest in an auto-setting clock for them.
Deciphering a clock face can be tricky for some people with dementia, so often digital clocks are easier.
You can also get clocks that show the day of the week, date and time, and for some people, a day/night clock can help them distinguish what time of day it is.
See the value of a cleaner who cares
If you or someone you know would benefit from a professional and compassionate, regular or one-off, home cleaning service from the dementia friends at Merry Maids UK, find your nearest Merry Maids business or book online today.
