She gets up early but sleeps in her chair. We get up early also, but we are sleepy in the afternoon. She is 81, has had Parkinson's for almost 20 years, has dementia. She comes out in the morning, whether dressed or not, takes her meds, then goes to sleep.
1. Some medications can cause a person to be sleepy. Check with the doctor or pharmacist to see if any of the medications she is on will cause this.
2. Part of the progression of decline is increased sleeping. This is just part of the process and there is not much that can be done.
3. Is she being encouraged to be active? Is someone able to take her out for a walk? Are there Adult Day Care Programs in the area? Is there a Senior Center where she could get involved in programs? Are there things that she can do around the house to feel useful, productive, helpful? Does anyone sit and talk to her?
*side note because it is me responding...it is possible that she would be eligible for Hospice, they would provide supplies, equipment, medications and a Nurse 1 time a week and a CNA at least 2 times a week. You would also get support from Hospice.
My mother slept in her chair at least 10 hours a day mostly because she had absolutely no stimulation. My dad was her caregiver, and he couldn't entertain her all day or drag her everywhere because she was on Lasix and had to go to the bathroom about every half hour.
After Dad passed, I moved her to a skilled nursing facility, and we brought her chair along, and surprise -- she slept in it all day AND all night because they couldn't convince her to sleep in a bed. I decided they were going to kill her in there, so I moved her to a memory care, and the chair stayed behind.
The MC staff got her up every morning, got her dressed and out to breakfast, and she didn't go back to her room until bedtime except for bathroom runs. They had activities, they took her outside, they had discussions, music -- you name it. That's what kept her awake, and if she wanted, she could snooze in a chair for a bit, but there was too much activity going on around her for her to sleep long.
Mind you, she was pretty deaf and couldn't do many of the activities due to macular degeneration, BUT the activities changed every half hour or so, so there was something different going on all the time.
This is what keeps them awake -- mental stimulation and variety in that stimulation. It's almost impossible to achieve in an at-home environment, though.