Assessing sleep

Sleep matters

Assessing sleep is the second of three modules in the course, Sleep matters. This course has been designed to highlight some of the issues older people have with their sleep and what nurses and care workers can do to optimise sleep for those living in aged care. Completing this course will help you better manage situations where a person is having trouble with their sleep and gain an understanding of the association between sleep and dementia.

Module description

In this module we show you how to assess the quality and timing of an older person’s sleep: are they getting enough sleep at night and is it sufficient to not feel tired or sleepy during the day. You will also hear from our panel of experts about some of the issues to consider when assessing sleep in an older person.

In this video module you’ll learn about assessing a person’s sleep patterns and see a sleep assessment of Anna, an aged care resident who is having some problems with her sleep. We explore issues to consider when assessing sleep in an older person: depression; physical activity and diet; sleep apnoea; medications; light and circadian rhythm; and mental and social engagement.

Learning Outcomes

After completing the module you will be able to:

• describe key points about the timing and quality of sleep - restorative sleep
• describe the role of the following factors in assessing sleep in an older person:
• medications
• diet and exercise
• exposure to light
• social & cognitive engagement
• depression
• pain
• environmental factors
• conduct a sleep assessment, using the SleepCog tool.