Night-Time Dementia Care: Keeping People Safe While Protecting Family Sleep

Night-time can be one of the hardest parts of caring for someone with dementia. While the rest of the world winds down, many people with dementia become more confused, anxious, or restless. As a result, families often face broken sleep, constant vigilance, and deep exhaustion.

Common night-time behaviours can include:

• Wandering around the house or trying to leave

• Calling out repeatedly

• Refusing to go to bed or get dressed for sleep

• Waking frequently and feeling unsure whether it’s day or night

Over time, disturbed nights can affect both physical and mental health. That’s why night-time dementia care at home focuses on two goals at once: keeping the person safe and settled, while also protecting family sleep as much as possible.

In this article, we share practical steps, support options, and how nurse-led home care can help.

Why Nights Are So Difficult in Dementia

Several factors can make nights harder for someone living with dementia. For example:

• Changes in the brain’s internal clock (sleep-wake cycle)

• Reduced ability to recognise where they are or what time it is

• Fear, confusion, or hallucinations in the dark

• Pain, discomfort, or needing to use the toilet more often

• Side effects of medications

For families, the impact is often immediate and ongoing. Night-time dementia care can feel like:

• You can never fully “switch off”

• You’re constantly worried about falls or wandering

• You struggle to cope during the day because you’re not sleeping

Most importantly, this is a common dementia challenge—not a personal failure. Recognising that can be a real first step toward finding workable solutions.

Safety First: Making the Home Night-Safe

Before changing routines, it helps to reduce risks in the environment. Even small adjustments can prevent serious harm.

Practical safety checks

• Lighting: Use low-level night lights to reduce shadows and support orientation.

• Trip hazards: Clear clutter from walkways, secure rugs, and tuck cables away.

• Doors and exits: Consider alarms or sensors on external doors if wandering is a risk.

• Bathroom access: Keep the route clear and well-lit; add grab rails if needed.

Helpful technology options

Technology can support safety too, especially when families need reassurance at night. Depending on the situation, this may include:

• Bed or chair sensors that alert a carer if someone gets up

• Door alarms or motion sensors in key areas

• Telecare systems linked to a monitoring service (where appropriate)

The aim is not to “lock someone in”. Instead, the goal is to lower the risk of falls, accidents, or leaving the house unnoticed.

Routines and Strategies for Better Nights

Better nights often start in the daytime. Although routines won’t fix everything, they can reduce restlessness and improve sleep quality.

Daytime routines that help

• Encourage regular activity where possible (gentle exercise, conversation, hobbies)

• Keep wake-up times and mealtimes consistent

• Limit long naps, especially late in the day

A calmer evening wind-down

As evening approaches, reducing stimulation can make a difference. For example:

• Lower noise levels and keep the lighting soft

• Build a predictable routine (music, a familiar TV programme, looking at photos)

• Avoid caffeine and heavy meals late in the evening

• Limit large drinks right before bed, where appropriate (and safe for health needs)

At bedtime

Bedtime can feel confusing for someone with dementia, so simple reassurance helps.

• Keep instructions short and kind

• If they resist bed, try a gradual transition rather than insisting

• Keep familiar comfort items nearby (blanket, photos, familiar clothing)

Even when routines don’t “solve” the problem, they often reduce distress and make nights more manageable.

When You Need Extra Support at Night

Sometimes, even with the best routine and home setup, night-time care becomes too much for one person to manage alone.

You may need more support if:

• You rarely get more than a couple of hours’ sleep at a time

• You feel anxious about sleeping in case something happens

• Your health is suffering due to exhaustion

• There have been near misses or incidents (falls, wandering, medication mistakes)

Night-time support options

Depending on needs and risk level, support may include:

• Waking nights: a trained carer stays awake all night to monitor and support

• Sleep-ins: a carer rests in another room and helps if needed

• Live-in care: overnight support as part of a full 24-hour package

A nurse-led complex care team can help you decide what is safest, realistic, and sustainable.

Protecting Family Sleep and Wellbeing

Your well-being matters too. Caring through the night is not something most people can do indefinitely without support.

Practical ways to protect family health include:

• Sharing night-time responsibilities between family members when possible

• Using respite support so you can get full nights of sleep regularly

• Speaking with your GP if anxiety, low mood, or physical symptoms are building up

• Setting realistic expectations—this is hard, and you are doing your best

Getting professional support is not “giving up”. In many cases, it’s how families continue caring at home without reaching burnout.

How Aeon Nursing Supports Night-Time Dementia Care

Our nurse-led teams can provide both guidance and practical support for safer nights at home. That includes:

• Assessing night-time risks and making safety recommendations

• Providing waking night or sleep-in care as part of a tailored package

• Training staff in dementia-specific communication and behaviour support

• Working alongside memory clinics, GPs, and mental health teams

Our aim is to keep the person with dementia safe and reassured at night, while helping families regain the rest they need to cope during the day.

Struggling With Nights at Home?

If night-time care is becoming unmanageable—or if you’re worried about safety—we’re here to listen and advise.

For a confidential, no-obligation conversation about night-time dementia support at home, contact info@aeonnursing.co.uk.

Important Information

This article is for general career information only and does not form part of any job offer or employment contract with Aeon Nursing. Roles, duties and benefits described are examples only and may vary by position, location and service needs. All employment is subject to Aeon Nursing’s usual recruitment procedures, professional registration requirements and safeguarding checks. For current vacancies and full terms, please contact our recruitment team or visit our careers page.

Author & Content Writer: Dr Naeem Aslam