From the desk of Rosemary Laird, MD
Founder of Navigating Aging Needs (NAN), LLC
Facing "Fall Back"
For caregivers of a loved one suffering from Alzheimer's disease, the time change can pose additional challenges, since the illness itself disrupts their circadian clock and makes the brain less flexible overall. Your loved one may have trouble understanding the switch in their schedules, and have problems adapting to the new routine. Since nightfall arrives an hour earlier, the time change may exacerbate periods of sundowning, with the earlier, fading light being accompanied by increased anxiety, agitation, and restlessness.
Spring Forward
The change in time can be even more challenging for your loved one suffering from Alzheimer's. They may not understand that a time change has occurred, and thus efforts to keep to their regular schedule, which is so important in your caregiving efforts, gets thrown off course.