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Expert advice on how to make daylight-saving time shifts easier for dementia patients
Daylight saving time ends on November 3. For many of us, that means a welcome extra hour in bed. But for some, the shift can be disorienting and difficult to cope with.
Research into dementias risk factors, symptoms, and possible treatments is coming on leaps and bounds. We know, for example, that learning a musical instrument or a second language can help slow the progression of neurodegenerative disease. But it still pays to understand how minor changes like the clocks going back (or forward) can be disruptive for someone with declining brain function.
Daylight-saving time shifts can be extra disruptive for dementia patients
Even for those of us with fully functioning brains, a shift in daylight saving time can throw us off kilter. Even when gaining an hour, it can take a day or two to get used to the change.
However, for someone with a neurodegenerative disease, these minor disruptions can be particularly challenging, and trigger anxiety and confusion, according to CBD.co.�
Since most of us experience gradual changes in sunrise and sunset hours throughout the year, we dont notice them so much.
But dementia sufferers already struggle to keep track of time. A sudden change of an hour one way or the other can upset an Alzheimers patients circadian rhythm and make them feel disorientated.
The UKs Alzheimers Society (AS) explains that, as winter mornings and evenings become darker, people with dementia may find it difficult to differentiate between 6 am and 6 pm. �When it goes from being light at a particular time to being dark at that time, a lack of preparedness can lead to confusion.
How to ease the transition from DST to standard time
CBD.co offers 6 tips to caregivers and family members who want to be as helpful as possible during the shift from daylight saving time to standard time.
Adjust routines gradually
Try shifting their routine by 15 minutes each day, they suggest. Gradual adjustments can ease confusion and avoid anxiety. Incidentally, AS suggests something similar: preparing for the clocks to go back the evening before.�
Think about having dinner and going to bed an hour later on Saturday, its site reads, so that the person can still get their usual amount of sleep and wake up at their usual time on Sunday. In this way, the persons routine will only be different for an evening rather than a full day.
Maintain consistency
Try to keep meal times, bedtime, and other daily activities at the same time relative to their internal clock, CBD says. This will help alleviate feelings of disorientation.
AS has this: Having a routine during the day and at bedtime can help regulate a persons disrupted body clock. It suggests doing activities at the same time each day, such as walking after breakfast, since this can help a person with dementia make sense of the time.
Take them outside
Exposure to natural light is essential for everyone. It helps us regulate our circadian rhythms. It improves mood and sleep quality.
A simple walk in the morning or afternoon can have a very positive effect on their overall well-being, CBD says. Not to mention the opportunity it provides for spending quality time together.
Create a calming environment
This could involve reading or listening to soothing music. Naturally, it depends on what works in your specific case.
Use automatic clocks
This prevents the possibility of you forgetting to change all the clocks in the house and avoids the potentially disorientating impact on your loved one of seeing the clocks being changed manually.
Be patient
Transitions affect people differently. As long as you are patient with your loved one and able to communicate with them openly about how theyre feeling, CBD says, you will be able to help them adjust to the change.�
