Insomnia Strikes!

Yesterday wasn't a good day for my mom; she was up all night the night before.  Insomnia is back, robbing her of good days.

Natural remedies and avoiding certain foods helped my mom to sleep through the night.  At the nursing home, natural remedies are not allowed; food is not recognized as medicine.

My mom's nurses are awesome; they have open minds.  They are new to the Team Jo Caregiving crew; learning the nuances to her needs is akin to learning how to play a musical instrument.  Time and practice will improve everything, it always does.

Things that have caused my mom to have bouts of insomnia at home are:

1.  Lack of exercise... I go every day and make sure she gets up and walks.  Now we need to get her to trust the staff to walk with her.   "I don't want to die!"  She will exclaim at the suggestion to walk with someone other than family.

2.  Dairy.  If she has dairy products before bed, she will not sleep.

3.  Anything white.  Eating potatoes or white rice causes her sleep disturbances.

4.  Room temperature.  If it's too hot, she won't sleep.  On warm nights, mom is awake... wide awake.  I brought her a fan yesterday to keep the air moving in the room.

When my mom sleeps at night, her days are better.  She will eat her food and be able to talk to her new friends.  She likes the Sister; they fold my mom's scarf collection.

It's a process to get someone acclimated to a home without much anxiety.  My mom is doing pretty well.  Nothing is going to change how her mind reacts to change; it's part of her illness.  She has a team of people to help her.  Any visits she gets from anyone are bonuses and help her to have a good day.

Finally, I am able to do the fun stuff with my mom.  Yesterday... I even got her to dance!