Sundowning
What is sundowning? Symptoms, causes, timing, and what helps
Sundowning is the late-day rise in confusion and agitation that many people living with dementia experience. Here's what it looks like, why it may happen, and what helps.
Caregiver guides
Dementia & Alzheimer's caregiving, one hard moment at a time.
Practical, research-informed guides for families living with sundowning, agitation, wandering, and the everyday challenges of dementia care.
Sundowning
Sundowning guides
Why late-day confusion happens, how to calm it in the moment, and how to make evenings easier.
Sundowning
Sundowning vs. delirium: how to tell the difference and when to get help
Sundowning is a familiar evening pattern. Delirium is a sudden change that needs a doctor. Here's how to tell them apart, and what to do if you're not sure.
Sundowning
How to calm someone who is sundowning: 12 de-escalation techniques
What to do in the moment an evening episode starts — how to approach, what to say, what to avoid, and how to bring your loved one back to calm.
Sundowning
How to prevent sundowning: a daily routine for calmer evenings
Most of what prevents a hard evening happens earlier in the day. A practical routine for light, naps, meals, activity, and a calm evening that can reduce sundowning.
Sundowning
When someone with dementia wants to go home: what to say and do
Why a person living with dementia asks to go home when they're already there, what to say in the moment, and how to keep them safe if they head for the door.
Dementia care
Dementia care
Everyday approaches for agitation, communication, wandering, and connection.
Dementia care
Dementia agitation and aggression: common triggers and how to respond
What causes agitation and anger in dementia, how to calm things down in the moment, how to stay safe if someone becomes aggressive, and when to involve the doctor.
Dementia care
How to talk to someone with dementia: practical tips and phrases that help
Simple ways to make conversations easier and kinder: what to say, what to avoid, how to use body language, and how to handle the same question for the tenth time.
Dementia care
Dementia wandering: why it happens, how to prevent it, and what to do if someone goes missing
Why people living with dementia wander, the warning signs to watch for, practical ways to make your home safer, and exactly what to do if your loved one goes missing.
Dementia care
Validation therapy for dementia: principles, techniques, and real examples
How to respond to the feelings behind confused words instead of correcting the facts, with the techniques, example phrases, and an honest look at the research.
Dementia care
Reminiscence therapy for dementia: what it is, what the research says, and activity ideas
How sharing old memories with photos, music, and familiar objects can bring comfort and connection, plus practical ideas you can try at home tonight.
Caregiver support
Caregiver support
Looking after the person doing the caring.
Caregiver support
Dementia caregiver burnout: the warning signs and how to get real relief
How to recognize when caregiving is wearing you down, and the concrete steps, services, and people that can give you a break before you hit empty.
Questions
Quick answers
What time of day does sundowning start?
Most often in the late afternoon or early evening, around dusk, and it can continue into the night. The exact timing varies from person to person, which is why tracking episodes for a week or two is so useful. See what is sundowning.
Can sundowning be stopped?
There is no cure, but many families see fewer and milder episodes with a steady routine, daylight, a calmer evening and gentle de-escalation. See how to prevent sundowning and how to calm sundowning.
When is late-day confusion an emergency?
Confusion that comes on suddenly over hours or days, or is very different from the person's usual pattern, can be delirium, which needs a doctor the same day. See sundowning vs. delirium.
Should I correct someone with dementia when they are confused?
Usually not. Correcting tends to increase distress without changing what the person believes. Acknowledging the feeling behind what they say, then gently redirecting, works better for most families. See validation therapy.
When the evening starts to slip, have a familiar voice ready
Hamton calls your loved one in the voice of someone they trust, using validation, reminiscence, and gentle redirection to guide them back to calm.
Start your free voice profile