Photo by Fr Antunes
I have to admit that I avoid visiting skilled nursing facilities (SNF) in the late afternoon and early evening. I have a handful of friends who live in SNFs, and I have observed a phenomenon called sundowning or sundowner’s syndrome, which affects a number of residents.People with dementia are prone to experience confusion and agitation as the sun goes down, making it difficult to communicate with them and care for them. For some reason, people in the mid-stages of dementia seem to be most affected. Symptoms include the following: yelling, crying, confusion, hallucinations, tremors, and pacing.
In an attempt to explain this phenomenon to younger women, I have compared it to the struggle parents have when helping young children transitioning from daycare or school into their evening activities and then to dinner and then to their bedtime routine.
These transitions can happen in the space of just two hours, stressing the young child. They suffer similar behavioral and emotional upset as older adults with dementia. Older adults might need to transition from the common rooms to the dining room, to their bedrooms and then into their pajamas before retiring for bed—all within just two hours.
Experts speculate that those with dementia have fewer reserves for managing the stress and fatigue that comes at the end of the day. Some speculate that the body’s circadian rhythms are disrupted by dementia, making it harder to transition from daytime activities to a full night’s sleep.
