I care for my 96 year old mother. She is oriented, but has short memory issues. She ambulates well. A few nights a week she has trouble sleeping, she gets anxious and then says she feels nauseated. I realize now it is anxiety. I see her Dr next week and I am thinking of ask him if its ok to give her Xanax a half dose of .25 mg. Anyone have experience using Xanax or something like this with an older adult?
Some people use TV shows to go to sleep. Find a station that has your Mom's favorite shows where the network shows 2 or 3 shows one after another. It works for me, to redirect my brain off of world events.
I agree with others here though that a daily anti-anxiety might be explored. My cousin, who had dementia took daily Cymbalta and it helped her a lot. There are a lot of options. I hope you find something that helps your mom. It’s amazing how prevalent anxiety and depression is with seniors.
It can also depend on any other medical conditions she has. With some medications there can be dangers depending on conditions.
Also keep in mind that some medications can make her a fall risk
Good luck!