Before Millie moved to our home, she was having episodes of behavior that were diagnosed as Sundown Syndrome, which is characterized by anxiety, confusion, agitation, problems with sleep cycles. Millie had those symptoms when she was in her own home. But almost immediately after Millie arrived to live in my house, those symptoms disappeared.
How did we do it? We took her off caffeine, as in zero coffee (not even decaf), and gave her melatonin at bedtime. Simple as that. It's now Day 669 that Millie has been in our care, and while she has had some moments of frustration and anger in that time period, there's nothing that resembles Sundown Syndrome.
If your elderly charge has Sundown Syndrome symptoms, try eliminating their intake of caffeine. If that clears up those behaviors, the problem is probably not Sundown Syndrome.
How did we do it? We took her off caffeine, as in zero coffee (not even decaf), and gave her melatonin at bedtime. Simple as that. It's now Day 669 that Millie has been in our care, and while she has had some moments of frustration and anger in that time period, there's nothing that resembles Sundown Syndrome.
If your elderly charge has Sundown Syndrome symptoms, try eliminating their intake of caffeine. If that clears up those behaviors, the problem is probably not Sundown Syndrome.
