Anyone see improvement of sundowning with light therapy?

I have a different opinion on sundowning. I believe dementia patients get so exhausted at the end of the day from dealing with their condition sundowning is the result. You may want try playing some music they loved during their youth. It is relaxing and really helped cheer up my mom. Even when she could no longer speak much, she remembered most of the words to "Mister Beau Jangles." Good luck!

It really surprises me to hear recommendations for using a blue light at night. But then I am using it for internal clock problems. I need to use mine to signal my body that it is daytime. It would be very counter-productive to use it at night. In fact, my specialist wants me to wear sunglasses in the evening, to try to convince my body that it really is nearing time to go to bed. But, as I say, that is about circadian rhythm problems, not specifically depression and certainly not sundowning.

Timing can be important in the use of light therapy, so if anyone is trying it without adequate results, I suggest experimenting with the timing.

The glasses I wear for an hour a day are the result of many years of research by Flinders University (Australia). If you are interested, look up Re-Timer. Even if you are not considering a wearable application there is interesting information on their site about the science behind light therapy. The glasses use blue-green light (which is just as effective and may be less risky) and blocks UV. My eye doctor was worried when she saw mine, but looked it up and approved of the specs. The lumens or brightness measure seems very low compared to the boxes, but that is because it is right up by the eyes, not 18 or 20 inches away. When you are looking at boxes check how close you must be to the device. What really matters is the brightness by the time it reaches your eyes, not the brightness when it leaves the box -- so just comparing lux may not be meaningful.

There are many "happy light" options out there. I hated spending so much on mine, but it was one my doctor was familiar with and knew to be effective. I didn't want to spend less money and risk throwing it out. I know what you mean, slra2015, about being reluctant to spend a lot when the therapy just "might" work for sundowning. That is kind of the spot I was in, too. "Maybe" this will help a circadian problem (although there is more research about that than sundowning) but at least it is known to be effective for depression, so I figured I'd get some value out of it.

In the meantime, while you are considering a possible purchase, are you taking your loved one out in the sunshine for a half-an-hour a day or more? My sleep doctor told me I wouldn't need a light box or glasses if I just went outside every morning when I woke up. I just looked at him. He is definitely from a sunnier climate. Going out for sunshine would be great except when it is raining or snowing or sleeting or overcast or there is a tornado warning in effect! So I opted to spend the money. I don't know where you are from, slra2015, but if it is feasible, taking your loved one outdoors regularly might have some positive effects, too.

And is she getting enough vitamin D? People who have to spend a lot of their lives indoors, especially in Northern climates, are very often deficient. If you don't know, ask to have that tested the next time blood is drawn. The supplements are tiny gel caps and very easy to take. My sleep doctor, my diabetes doctor, and my depression doctor all encourage vitamin D. Being deficient causes a lot of problems. Whether it specifically would help sundowning I don't know, but it might be worthwhile just on general principles!

This is a possible therapy that doesn't get much exposure for dementia. I sure hope you'll come back and tell us what you try and how it works out. We learn from each other!

I also find the concept of "sondowning" unhelpful, as I also find our classification systems. We seem to expect life to go a regular pace for elders as if they were puppets. I find instead, that keeping someone company through the chores that are difficult for them, being quiet, focused, aware of glitches and encouraging gradual improvement - followed by breakfast and caregiver break, etc = and let the person nap as needed. Read something to them. If the day includes some shared joys, without over-stressing a caregiver - joys do not have to follow group organized activities, except a couple of times a week. I don't think we let nature be nature, we try to correct too much according to formulas, instead of enjoying the person and the day with them, even 30% of the time - and the rest of the time it's natural to rest, take breaks, and also do the needed tasks. Not easy to generalize, as people are so different, but reading to them makes a huge difference, is fun and shareable, and doesn't take much energy, and helps take virtual trips without the difficulties now present for them with any travel.

I like the idea of music. My Mom was bedridden for many months before she passed on. I would play music Mom loved at certain times of day...morning and evening and this seemed to calm her. She liked classical, relaxing piano, and saxaphone. I am not sure how light effected her but I did keep a very low bulb burning in her room at night and that seemed to help with confusion and hallucinations. In the mornings I would try to make the room as bright as possible in our climate.

I hadn't heard of light therapy for sundowning. What is the recommended time of day to use it?

I use light therapy myself, mainly to try to regulate my weird body clock, but also to ward off depression. I wear blue light glasses each day. (They are about $300, I think,) For the light boxes you need to sit a certain distance from them for a certain period. I couldn't see myself being patient with that! The glasses are awesome, though.

I'd be very interested in hearing how this works out, if you try it.

The Happy Light option is a good one to try - minimal investment (verilux happy light Liberty 10,000 lux can be purchased for 99.95 ) As I personally can attest to it's efficacy for sunlight deprivation during the winter months ( depending upon where you live, no matter how much time your loved one spends outside, the suns rays may not be sufficient to provide the UV rays for the body to produce the hormones necessary to promote positive mood) I have mine sitting at my desk and use it for my desk lamp in the morning. It sits about 2 ½ feet from my face and starts every morning off on the right foot for me. I would strongly recommend this small investment as an alternative treat modality. It certainly cannot hurt.

My 91 year old Mother has Sun Downing BUT it is not when the sun goes down. It is when the sun goes up early in the morning. Sun Downing I think is just a term for a period of agitation and is just a term to identify a certain period of time in which your loved one is just plain un-happy during a period of time. With Mom it is the demand of getting up in the morning and all the steps it takes to do so. First step is to put her own feet on the ground to start the day. She is overwhelmed by doing anything even picking up the tooth paste tube and taking the cap off. So I don't think it would work with my Mother. Sorry

Sorry, also to add - it was the first elders that I helped, who taught me the value of an afternoon nap, when I did live-in care. I found that I loved that break in the day myself, my own capacity for listening and interest ncreased when I napped in a different room, during the hour when he would nap in early afternoon. I don't think elders need the care focus exclusively, they value a companion or two, who shares some of their vulnerabilities and takes good self care, as well as does regular activity or two with them - rest helps all be more interesting and real, when one is sharing time with them. If hiring caregivers, plan for overlap time when family updates and chats a bit with caregiver and elder - they like being part of a small community, and for them, that includes caregivers. Even small shared updates to review an afternoon, makes it feel like a shared effort to engage and bring positives.

Full spectrum (light therapy) is used to treat SAD (seasonal affective disorder) which occurs when people are not exposed to enough sunlight (rainy Seattle comes to mind). Sunlight reaches the eye and makes melatonin which produces the neurotransmitter serotonin to improve mood. One can also take melatonin in pill form at bedtime to produce sleep. It is all about resetting the circadian rhythm. In dementia, connections in the brain malfunction. Try to cut out any caffeine about 4 hours before bedtime (i.e. chocolate, coffee, colas, even nuts - too much protein). Before you go to the expense of a full spectrum light, try exposing your loved one to some real sunlight during the day, and pill form of melatonin (about $3.00) at night.

Up here in north country, winter is about a month too long and SAD is just something we take for granted. Many take a week's vacation in Feb/March to someplace sunny and warm. My father sleeps well and likes to sit in his sunny, warm bedroom in the mornings, absorbing the rays. It does so much more for him than a box of light. So does going out for lunch/dinner or visits from my cheerful sister. It's after dinner that he gets restless. His caregiver leaves and he has never known what to do with himself between dinner and bedtime, as he has no real hobbies and is tired of TV. He doesn't want to go to bed too early because then he wakes up before midnight and gets confused. So he starts roaming around, going through paperwork and his mental to-do list. Then he calls me and wants me to explain details over the phone. But he doesn't give me enough information to help him and isn't satisfied with my responses. He also isn't at his sharpest. So I have to reassure him we will go through it in person when I am there. Sometimes that satisfies him and sometimes it doesn't. It's tiring because he always interrupts me and it's not as urgent as he thinks it is. But this is the time of day when he is lonely and wants to hear another voice say good-night and good-morning.