Sundowners get me so down!
I have been taking care of my 87(F) year old Aunt with Alzheimers .
Everything is going pretty good thru the mornings and lunchtime.
Everyday i see a decline but when 3-3:30 rolls around the repeated questions start and confusion overload, crying and wanting me right by her side.
She gets separation anxiety so bad. She is Hard of hearing even with hearing aides on.
Sooooo when the time comes everyday she will call me to be with her while she watches her games shows on full blast.
Im either starting to cook dinner or cleaning , laundry or paying bills.
Always taking care of stuff but i check on her every 15-20 minutes bc she calls me so much.
She is on hospice and have given her ativan but it almost triples her anxiety.
O.m.g.!!!!!!
Its crying wolf and i go in the tv room, turn down the volume everytime but she starts talking before the sound is down.
I love her so much but i can’t be around her much during sundowning bc i have brain issues and talking so loud and then repeating it gives me a headache, so i wrote it down for her.
Where she lives, who i am, why she is here, how ‘this’ ( Alzheimers) happened to her.
Shes single, no kids & worked in office all her life.
I gave her puzzles for over a year every-morning to do and now she just stares at them.
She has bad back pain due to a fall 8 months ago.
She is on Hospice , and they r great!
Pastor comes once a week, and she just did a respite for 5 days at a local nursing home.
I have no help and the 5 days hospice went so fast!
I was happy to see her and the prison sentence began again.
Its alot bc she has no patience and no memory which makes for a hairpulling day. She is not the Aunt I grew up with , i have mourned the Aunt i used to know and now Im living with someone that drives me Bonkers and wants me to sit with her every second of the day and just say the same words over & over & over.
I feel like im going crae crae!!
I love her so much and we have always been so close.
Alzheimers sucks shit!!
I took her on to live with me because I have the room and im a nurse but she was always there for me all my life and want to keep my promise that she will not go in a home.
I have a brother but he doesn’t help , just stops over once a month and wants me to be here the whole time he is here.
Like, she can’t walk good at all anymore and it would be so nice to go food shopping with out all the stress.
She used to walk with me now she sits in car. She just lives going for a ride but its getting so hard to bring her.
Anyways, sorry for the rant but how do u keep from going crazy ? I keep her stimulated and doing things like folding clothes but she just sits there staring at it now.
Sometimes, i think she is going to outlive me.
Havent been to my brain dr since she moved in a year ago.
Took care of her a year and half when she lived in her place.
Its easier having her here and less yard to cut and one less house to clean but just reaching out for any feedback or venting from anyone going thru similar situation.
Sometimes in my heart I feel like she isn’t here anymore.
I pray to God sometimes that God would take her home and let her heart & mind be calm.
It is wearing me down so much.
Thank u for reading this rant, did u ever just need a hug ??
Thats where Im at.
Take care !
Posted Jul 11, 2026, 8:53 PM UTC