Sleep problems in dementia care are linked more to emotional well-being than fear of falling

Article excerpt

While fear of falling has long been linked to poor sleep among older adults, new research from George Mason University suggests that emotional well-being may be an even stronger predictor of sleep quality for people with dementia and the spouses who care for them. In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, dementia researcher Kyeung Mi Oh examined how fear of falling and sleep quality interact within dementia caregiving couples, in which one partner has probable or possible dementia and the other serves as caregiver. The work is published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology.