Need help with sundowning? Check out 10 Tips To Help You Cope with Sundowning, a guest post I wrote for Together In This. Be sure to check out the editor’s note at the top, too, for a full explanation of the term “sundowning.”

Read on for the short tale of how the post came to be, the impact it’s had so far, and what you can do to offer help with sundowning to someone else (it’s quick and easy, I promise!):

For as far back as I can remember, I’ve loved to learn. It goes all the way back to my original word: “Why?” Sometimes the answers fascinate me, such as, “Why does a broken hip cause death in older adults?”*

Sometimes, though, I prefer to savor the mystery of it all. As in, “If a train leaves the station at 10:45 a.m. going west and traveling 145 mph, and…” I’m thinking, Who cares?!

What I want to know is, Where’s the train going? Who’s on board? What’s their story? Do they know each other? Is there a dining car? What are they reading?

Last week, I got to speak with Mike Good, founder of Together In This. An engineer by training and profession, he decided a few years back that he wanted to figure a way to use technology to help older adults.

Obviously, Mike gets the mystery of technology; no need to savor. Along the way, he discovered an affinity for people living with dementia. He sees how technology can help people living with dementia and their care partners, and has written product reviews to help you see it, too. Better yet, he’s rounded up the best products out there and put them in one place so you don’t have burn your precious time scouring the internet.

One situation where dementia-specific/friendly products can come in very handy is if you need help with sundowning.  And so, <flashing siren! guest post alert!> 10 Tips To Help You Cope with Sundowning was born.

Mike emailed me late last night, “I can’t be completely sure, but I think this was a 1-day record for TinT” regarding the amount of traffic the post has generated to his website.

That’s thrilling, because it appears Mike and I collaborated to put out into the world something that offers help with sundowning for people living with dementia and their care partners.

If you’ve ever been in a “sundowning” situation, you know how rough it is. Absolutely nothing to savor about the mystery of how you ended up there. Check out 10 Tips To Help You Cope with Sundowning. If you think it’s good stuff, please take a moment to help us help others and share it with someone who could use it.

And yes, 10 Tips To Help You PREVENT Sundowning is coming soon!

*In case you’re wondering, here’s the not-at-all-medical explanation of the link between a broken hip and death: Broken hips in older adults can cause death because of pneumonia. Our hips are the hinge that make sitting upright possible, which is a no-go with a broken hip. Laid out flat, pneumonia becomes a strong possibility, especially because dementia also ultimately wreaks havoc with the immune system.

 

Christy Turner is the founder of DementiaSherpa.com and has enjoyed the privilege of working with 1,123 people living with dementia and their families. Follow on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube. Content varies across platforms.