Daily Sleep, Well-Being, and Adult Day Services Use Among Dementia Care Dyads

Sleep is critical for health and well-being among both persons with dementia (PwD) and their family caregivers (CG). This study described sleep characteristics for dementia family care dyads, then examined the associations with sleep quality, daytime functioning, and mood in the context of Adult Day Services (ADS) use. Caregivers (n = 173) reported daily bedtime, wake time, and sleep quality for themselves and the persons with dementia across 8 consecutive days (N = 1,359), where PwD attended ADS at least 2 days of the week. They also reported their own fatigue and affect and PwD’s daytime and nighttime sleep and behavior problems on each day. Findings from multilevel models suggested that bedtime was earlier and total time in bed was shorter before an ADS day for the dyad, and also on an ADS day for PwD; wake time was earlier for the dyad on and following an ADS day. Using ADS related to better prior night sleep quality for PwD; it also weakened the association between nighttime sleep problems and higher daytime negative affect for CG. Yesterday’s ADS use buffered the negative impact of shorter total time in bed on CG daytime fatigue; it also buffered the association between nighttime sleep problems and lowered CG daytime positive affect. Regular ADS use may protect against the adverse impact of sleep disturbances on daytime functioning and well-being for dementia care dyads.