Turner Classic Movie fans and/or folks who are old enough to remember the year JFK was elected President might think of The Sundowners as a 1960 movie starring Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr.
Those folks would be right about the movie, but for many others the sundowners are not actors in a movie – they are people characterized by real life problems. The Mayo Clinic offers the following definition of the word.
The term “sundowning” refers to a state of confusion occurring in the late afternoon and lasting into the night. Sundowning can cause different behaviors, such as confusion, anxiety, aggression or ignoring directions. Sundowning can also lead to pacing or wandering. Sundowning isn’t a disease. It’s a group of symptoms that occur at a specific time of the day. These symptoms may affect people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. The exact cause of this behavior is unknown.
My first personal experience with sundowning was with my mother who began strange behavior before I attributed her late afternoon anxiety to a specific cause. Full disclosure I lived a thousand miles away from her Richmond, Texas home in South Carolina in the 1990s, visited twice a year, out of touch with her daily life. We maintained our long distance fragile mother-daughter relationship via weekly telephone calls once upon a time before cell phones. When my mom was in her early 70s, I went home to help her make arrangements for her brother Toby’s funeral in 1997. While I was there for a few days, I noticed she went through her house closing shutters every afternoon before supper. She also became very agitated until her best friend Willie Flora (who spent every night with her) arrived at suppertime. I dismissed this as having to do with a death of someone close to her.
Years passed, a new century brought changes to both my mother and me, but on my Texas visits I saw my mother’s early evening behaviors grew stranger. Her anxiety levels manifested paranoid issues I could no longer explain away. Sundowning was one of the first indications of the demon called dementia that robbed my aging mother of not only her memories but also her physical well-being.
When Pretty and I began to notice changes in Carl’s behavior in late afternoons this year, we talked about the sundowning syndrome.
Stay tuned for sundowning in dogs – it’s not just a human problem.
I'll Call It Like I See It 
Comments
9 responses to “the sundowners starring someone you love (part 1)”
We are dealing with a rather healthy, though failing eyesight and hearing, and arthritis, but a good strong heart, twenty-one year old dog!
As Carlos said the other day, “We may have to rewrite the wills and leave the house and bank accounts to the dog!”
It’s hard watching pets age, and decline.
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Wow, Bob. Can’t believe you have a twenty-one year old dog!! That is truly awesome and a testament to you, Carlos and your loving care.
And Carlos talking about rewriting the wills to leave the house and bank accounts to the dog made me laugh!! Thanks for the comments… always good to hear from you!
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I always tell Pretty we run a home for senior dogs – all three of ours are elderly, like me, and yes it’s hard to watch them decline.
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Our closest animal friends share so many of our health troubles. My father’s episodes took some time to get used to, but it reminded me of several dogs we had who grew to advanced old age. In those days they were given a little Prednisone. I wonder how it’s treated now. Poor Carl. Poor Pretty and you!
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I’m actually going to try to explore Carl’s issues in my next piece. Bless his heart, as we say in the South.Thanks so much for the comments and concerns!
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I’m not familiar with the term either, other than a cocktail in South Africa 🙂
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Aha, I’m not familiar with the cocktail in South Africa, but I’d probably like to try one. Thanks!
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Ah, first time I’ve heard the term sundowning but know it well. We’ve had two cats suffer from dementia. Interested to hear more about Carl…
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Yes, I will definitely write about Carl’s sundowning which has become increasingly difficult to deal with. Thanks for reading, Annie – as always much appreciated.
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