Older adults face several sleep disorders that can make it seem impossible to get a full night’s sleep. These sleep disorders may be making it hard for your parents to fall asleep or stay asleep.
Insomnia

Insomnia is a condition where you have a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep. It can lead to restless nights where you spend more time tossing and turning than getting the restful sleep your body needs.

What causes insomnia? It can be the side effect of some medications. It can be stress keeping the mind going when you’re trying to sleep. Sometimes, it’s hard to pinpoint any clear cause.

It helps to create a nightly routine. Going to be an hour early and reading a book before settling down to sleep may help. White noise that drowns out traffic noise or the sounds of others in the household makes it easier to stay asleep.

Nocturia

It’s not abnormal to lose some level of bladder control as you age. If your parent goes to the bathroom more than twice per night, it can be a condition known as nocturia. Several things can lead to this. Diabetes, congestive heart failure, some prescription medications, and UTIs are all possible.

The problem is that getting up multiple times per night disturbs sleep patterns. Your parent has to fall back asleep from an awake state. The interruption makes it hard to fall and stay asleep. Talk to your mom or dad’s doctor about treatments.

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a medication condition where breathing stops. Some of the signs are loud snoring or having a dry mouth when you wake up. With sleep apnea, breathing stops for a little and starts back up with a gasp or choke.

Those chokes and gasps may wake the person up. Sleep patterns are interrupted and require time to fall back asleep sometimes. As a result, you wake up in the morning but don’t feel well-rested. If sleep apnea is suspected, talk to a doctor and ask about a sleep study. Sleep apnea can be dangerous if oxygen levels dip.

Don’t let your mom’s lack of sleep impact her daily activities. If she’s having a harder time getting enough sleep at night, take a closer look at her habits.

With help from an elder care aide, she can change her activities and improve the odds of sleeping through the night. Call an elder care agency to arrange companionship services, transportation, and other important services.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elder Care in Washington Township, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. 1-800-493-5660

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What should you be cleaning at your mom’s house? Most people have a limited amount of time and aren’t sure what’s most important. These are the housekeeping chores that need to be done each day, week, and month.

Daily Chores

Clean counters, faucets, faucet handles, and the stove top with a disinfecting cleaner after preparing meals. Wash dishes or place them in the dishwasher. Move dry dishes to cabinets and drawers.

Go through the house and wipe doorknobs, toilet handles, cabinet hardware, remote controls, and phones with a disinfectant wipe. Computer keyboards and mice should also get wiped down to kill germs.

Weekly Chores

Once a week, you should sweep and dry mop tile, wood, linoleum, and laminate floors. Take time to vacuum carpeting. This may need to be done daily if your mom has pets that shed fur regularly.

Strip beds and wash sheets and pillowcases. Make the beds with clean linens. Towels should be done at the same time. Twice a week is best for towels if your parents shower daily.

Scrub any soap film and grime from the bathtub or shower. You should also scrub inside the toilet, the floor around the toilet, and on the outside of the toilet tank and toilet bowl. Use a disinfecting cleaner for all of this.

Go through the fridge and make sure any old leftovers are composted. Wash the containers those foods were in. Keep track of what leftovers your parents aren’t eating and adjust cooking habits as needed.

Monthly Chores

At the start of the month, run a steam mop to sanitize the flooring. You can also use disinfecting cleaner and a regular mop, but you should make sure the floor is dried after to prevent slips.

Clean the oven each month. If it’s especially dirty, run the self-clean cycle. Do the same to the microwave. If you heat a cup of lemon water in a microwave-safe coffee mug and let it sit for a minute, the steam makes it easier to clean.

Remove dust from lampshades, TVs, computers, and other electronics. Run a duster where the ceiling and walls meet to remove any dust webs or spider webs that are forming.

When time is limited, it makes more sense to hire home care aides to help with light housekeeping. Not only is your mom’s house going to be clean and organized, but it also frees up your time so that visits are fun, stress-free times together. Call a home care agency to schedule help with housekeeping.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring a Caregiver in Washington Township, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. 1-800-493-5660

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