We’ve all had sleepless nights, and felt the detrimental impact on our mood, stress and health. But what if you couldn’t control the factors that are stopping you sleeping?
For most people their evenings are naturally spent in dim lighting, avoiding overstimulating activities and limiting sugar and caffeine to ensure a smooth transition to bed. However, in long-term and complex memory-care daily activities can present unique challenges that can quickly impact quality of life, and bedtime is no different. Without a circadian rhythm to rely on, the environment of a resident becomes essential for encouraging a healthy sleep cycle and often it’s an environment they have little control over. They are reliant on our support to get the rest they need.
Troy Speechly is our Supportive Living Program Leader; he goes above and beyond to honour this responsibility to our residents. Whilst we have extensive safeguarding measures to prevent falls, sometimes they are unavoidable. So, Troy monitors the fall statistics of our residents to protect their safety. He noticed something about the period between 7:30 PM and 7:30 AM; at this time residents should be resting and in bed with movement at a daily low but, whilst we rarely have falls at all, Troy noticed almost half of falls were happening at this time. This warranted investigation, so staff were surveyed to see if there was anything we could address in our care to accommodate the specific challenges that people with dementia face when trying to rest.
The investigation brought fascinating results. The survey asked about how lighting, evening food options, and TV usage affected the nightly routine. This routine was built around trying to do what was best for residents, providing the food and entertainment they liked, and keeping lights on for their safety and comfort until they went to bed. But the trend of activity overnight suggested these accommodations were not the ideal routine for encouraging rest and good sleep hygiene.
So, we changed it.
For 6 months we implemented changes that addressed the specific challenges people with dementia face every night. Whether a lack of circadian rhythm made winding down difficult, or a lack of awareness/control over the environment meant our residents weren’t transitioning smoothly into night, we wanted to help.
To encourage the body’s natural sleep routine, light dimmers were installed to emulate a sunset. Instead of feeling like it was going from noon to midnight at the flick of a switch, residents now get to enjoy a gradual transition into evening. This encourages their bodies to organically recognize its time to sleep, and often independently seek out their beds as their natural routine takes over.
Whilst funny clips are a great way to keep residents entertained, the loud noises and flashing lights of a TV can keep minds wired awake, overriding biological sleep signals and increasing the risk of confusion and agitation when residents become over-tired. Instead, calming meditation music plays in the evening now; creating an environment that encourages residents to feel when their body is telling them it’s time to rest.
Finally, we wanted to ensure we could provide snacks and drinks that wouldn’t disrupt this routine. Troy worked closely with our food services team to provide snacks and drinks that not only avoided spiking sugar or caffeine levels but actively increased essential amino acids, such as tryptophan, that are vital for producing melatonin. By replacing sugary drinks and snacks with healthier options like cheese and calming tea, our residents are helping their brains get the chemicals needed for a restful night of sleep.
We carefully tracked the impact of these changes over a 6-month period, and the results are amazing. The statistic that had caught Troy’s attention – that almost half of resident falls were happening at a time when they should be at their most restful – had dropped by over 10%.
Residents were falling less, going to bed earlier, and agitated and anxious behaviours had decreased in both the evening and mornings.
The positive effects of this are innumerable. Better sleep is vital for good health, and decreasing fall risks and behavioural incidents means a calmer and safer environment for everyone. Even the families of residents noticed improvements in their loved one’s sleep.
And residents aren’t the only ones benefitting, with less falls to respond to, less challenging behaviours to mitigate, and less incident reports to write, we’re freeing up valuable time for our staff. Reducing the pressure on our hard-working and infinitely dedicated staff is always a priority for us and means they can continue to give their full attention to compassionate care without having to sacrifice their wellbeing.
It’s because of our loyal community of donors like you that we can have such a devoted and skilled team, catching these problem areas and implementing programs to improve quality of life.
The support we receive has a real and daily impact on our residents’ quality of life. Recently, generous donations meant we could provide our residents with Tranquille Glider chairs designed specifically with the safety of long-term care users in mind. These chairs offer a calming motion for residents who struggle with restless and anxious behaviours to redirect into relaxing, rocking movements.
Now, when the lights start to dim and the music starts to slow, these chairs are occupied every night by residents having a well needed nap.
Your dedicated support ensures we can give our residents the resources and care they deserve.
Thank you for helping us nurture a peaceful, caring home.
Written by Levi Kirton,
Digital Philanthropy Assistant