Assisted Living Residents and Sleep

May 11, 2010

Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles found that many residents of assisted living facilities experience poor sleep which appears to correlate with lower quality of life, difficulty in carrying out daily activities, and more episodes of depression.

121 residents of 18 assisted living facilities in Los Angeles participated in the observational cohort study led by Jennifer l. Martin, PhD. The researchers found that 65 percent of the residents experienced sleep disturbances deemed clinical.

The study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society concluded that sleep disturbance is common in older residents in assisted living facilities, and poor sleep is associated with declining functional status and quality of life and greater depression over 6 months of follow-up. The researches also suggest that studies are needed to determine whether improving sleep in assisted living facility residents will result in improvements in these outcomes. The authors of the "Sleep Quality in Residents of Assisted Living Facilities: Effect on Quality of Life, Functional Status, and Depression" study also made the recommendation that well-established treatments should be adapted for use in assisted living facilities and systematically evaluated in future research.

Whether you live in an assisted living facility or not, it also worthwhile to speak to a doctor about sleep deficiency and about any effects this may have on your general health. Your doctor can help assess how serious a problem insomnia or any other sleep disorder is and what to do about it. Both behavioral therapies and prescription medications singly or in combination are considered effective means to treat many sleep disorders; the proper choice should be matched to a variety of factors in discussion with a physician.