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Sleep in care homes

Part of: Bespoke shallow archive Weizmann

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 August 2010

Adam L Gordon  and
John RF Gladman
Adam L Gordon*
Affiliation:
Division of Rehabilitation and Ageing, University of Nottingham, UK
John RF Gladman
Affiliation:
Division of Rehabilitation and Ageing, University of Nottingham, UK
*
Address for correspondence: Adam Gordon, Room B98, Division of Rehabilitation and Ageing, Medical School, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH. Email: adam.gordon@nottingham.ac.uk
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Summary

Sleep problems in older adults are common and disturbance in sleep is associated with increased mortality. These problems are more pronounced in the care home population because of institutional factors and a high prevalence of frailty and co-morbidity. This article reviews the randomized controlled trials undertaken to address sleep problems in care homes. These suggest that stand-alone therapies – oral melatonin and light therapy – have no effect on sleep but that combination treatments – physical exercise plus sleep hygiene, physical exercise plus sleep hygiene plus light and melatonin plus light – may have positive effects. These effects are more marked for daytime arousal than nocturnal sleep. Practical considerations for care homes are how to maximize light exposure, incorporate exercise into daily routines and minimize night-time disruption for residents. Trials undertaken so far are compromised by small sample size and inappropriate randomization strategies and further research is therefore required.

Keywords

sleepnursing homesresidential facilitieshomes for the aged
Type
Intermediate care and rehabilitation
Information
Reviews in Clinical Gerontology , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , November 2010 , pp. 309 - 316
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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