There may be a variety of reasons why your elderly loved one may need care during the nighttime. Whether they have health issues, are at risk for falls, or have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia that causes them to grow confused at night, overnight care for seniors may be necessary. Overnight care may be difficult to find, and may be necessary as an addition to their daytime care. If you believe that your elderly loved one may need overnight care, then keep reading to learn how to determine the type of overnight care for seniors and how to find the right care for your loved ones.
Some families know right away that their elderly loved one needs overnight care. In many cases, their loved one has fallen or injured themselves during the night and they understand that their loved one definitely needs an overnight caregiver. However, if you are unsure about whether or not your loved one would benefit from overnight care then consider the following factors. If your loved one has any of the following factors, or many of them, then they probably would benefit from overnight care.
Dementia or Confusion
Does your loved one have Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or simply grows confused often? If the answer is yes, then they may need overnight care. Elderly loved ones who grow confused, afraid, or disoriented during the day are at a great risk of developing the same feelings at night whenever they are fatigued and overly tired. If your loved one does grow confused, disoriented or afraid at night then they may try to get up and leave their home. This could be very dangerous for them and they could easily injure themselves. Elderly loved ones who grow confused may also find it difficult to fall back asleep and may wander around their house for hours at night. This could lead to them falling or them never getting enough rest.
Bed Rest
Does your loved one require bed rest during the day or night? Do they have a medical condition that causes them to be confined to a bed? If yes, then they definitely need an overnight caregiver. In these situations, seniors may need to get up during the night to use the restroom, but may not be able to do so on their own. If they try they may fall and injure themselves, so it is best if they have a caregiver at their home at night to help them out with whatever they may need.
Walking
Does your senior have issues walking independently? Are they confined to a wheelchair or heavily rely on a walker or a cane? If yes, then it may be a good idea to hire an overnight caregiver for your loved one, especially if they are living alone. If your loved one is unable to walk independently, then they are at a higher risk of falling in the middle of the night if they wake up and need to use the restroom or get a drink. For this reason, they may need an overnight caregiver.
Sleep Disruptions
Does your loved one have disrupted sleep to the point where they disrupt the sleep of their spouse? If yes, and if their spouse is their primary caregiver, then an overnight caregiver may be of help to both people in the home. An overnight caregiver can sit with your loved one at night and help them return to sleep each night and not wake up their spouse. This will allow both people to get enough rest so that your loved one can rely on their spouse during the day.
Hospital Stay
Has your loved one recently spent a lot of time in the hospital or a long-term care facility? If the answer is yes then your loved one may need help transitioning home and may need an overnight caregiver. In this case they may only need a temporary overnight caregiver depending on their physical state as they leave the hospital.
Caregiver Options
If you decide that your loved one would benefit from an overnight caregiver, then you have a few options. When evaluating a caregiver you should consider the following factors to help you determine what type of caregiver is right for your loved one.
Short Term and Temporary or Long Term
The first factor to consider when determining what type of caregiver to find for your senior is to determine if the care will be for a short term, temporary time period or if it will be for a longer time period. Short-term care may be completed by family member volunteers or friends, while longer term care may necessitate your family hiring an experienced caregiver.
Sleep
Determine how well your loved one sleeps during the night because if they do not sleep very often, then you will need to find a caregiver who is willing to stay up all night. Many overnight caregivers come to your loved one’s home and try to sleep while your loved one sleeps. However, if your loved one does not sleep very much at all, then you will need to tell any caregiver you may interview this before hiring someone.
Specific Support
You also should determine what specific support your senior may need during the night. If they have complex medical issues then you need to find a caregiver who understands and can help provide care for these issues.
Family Members
Also, consider how much family help your loved one is receiving. If your loved one has a large number of family members helping him throughout the day then you may be able to all get together and organize for some members to stay overnight. If so, you could save money by not hiring a caregiver for every night of the week. If family members could stay overnight, then a caregiver may only be needed for days when no one could make it to your loved ones home.
Overnight care is a decision that your family and your loved one must make together. If your loved one fits the previous criteria, then they may benefit from having an overnight caregiver. Talk with them more about the prospect of a caregiver coming into their home at night and if given the green light, then go ahead and begin the process of finding a private caregiver or a home care company that can properly suit your loved ones needs.
