How long does this last? I am so fatigued - this goes on most of the night and since I work, I don't see this during the day. But he does this in the evening too. Why do they do this? It's almost as if he is compelled to walk the route - it's driving me absolutely bonkers.
It's the same route: bedroom, living room, kitchen, then bathroom then back to bed - EVERY 15 MINUTES!! I welcome your comments.
It can also be a compulsive behavior. Does your loved one have AD or FTD? My husband does this during the day (not so much in the evening) and it is considered one of the more common compulsive behaviors with FTD. Seroquel has helped with this behavior---not completely stopped it but he does sleep better at night.
It is called sundowning and it is very normal for most versions of the disease. My husband paced every day between 4 and 6 for years BEFORE his sundowning got really bad. Drove me nuts that he couldn't settle down because it meant I couldn't settle down. Sundowning happens at the point in the day when most of us are already tired so it is really hard to deal with emotionally.
My husband does this in his nursing home and they have to remind him to sit down some of the time. They have wheel chair pacers as well. One man who is allowed to use the elevator (he doesn't try to run) literally spends all day rolling up and down the halls and then down the elevator to another follow and up and down their halls and then back up again and repeat from the beginning.
My husband paces during the day, so to me it's not sundowning, but a way to release anxiety. (Has been on Seroquel for 4 years.) He has stopped exercising, so I look at it that the pacing is better than sitting in a chair all day (or choking someone)! Interestingly, he only paces at daycare or when he is home with the aide--when I'm with him, I guess he doesn't do it because he can't be pacing and shadowing me at the same time. I heard an AD expert speak (neuro) and his theory was that the wandering is because they don't recognize their surroundings, they are searching for something familiar. I wonder if the pacing could be for the same reason.