I'm not sure if this goes here -- waking up in time for work

[Anonymous]

Asking for a friend who is a single mom of a young adult with severe mental illness.

Any suggestions of how to help someone with severe executive functioning deficits, and excessive sleepiness due to meds, wake on time?

Her son has a new job, and she has a work trip coming up. Right now, she wakes him up each day. In the past, when she's gone out of town things have sort of fallen apart.

An alarm on his phone or apple watch doesn't work, because he forgets to charge them, or turns off the ringer at work so he isn't distracted and forgets to turn it back on when he gets home. So, we think we need something that stays plugged in in his room.

Suggestions?

[Anonymous]

It's going to be really hard until they fix the excessive sleepiness problem. What does the psychiatrist say?

[Anonymous]

Just get an "old fashioned" plug in alarm clock. Actually, get two, and one goes across the room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's going to be really hard until they fix the excessive sleepiness problem. What does the psychiatrist say?

The psychiatrist says that there is not a fast fix for it.

The sleepiness is probably due to a combination of the sedating effect of antipsychotics (which he needs), possible apnea from weight gain due to the antipsychotics (which they are addressing but isn't an overnight solution), and depression which has been very treatment resistant and that they are still trying to solve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just get an "old fashioned" plug in alarm clock. Actually, get two, and one goes across the room.

In the past, this hasn't worked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just get an "old fashioned" plug in alarm clock. Actually, get two, and one goes across the room.

That's a good idea and costs $8 each.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just get an "old fashioned" plug in alarm clock. Actually, get two, and one goes across the room.

In the past, this hasn't worked.

Then you have to hire someone, give them a key, and have them come over and wake him up. Or accept he misses work.

[Anonymous]

Antipsychotics can absolutely cause debilitating sleepiness. Old fashioned ringing alarm clock? One of those that doesn’t turn off unless you stand on it?

Rewarding him if he does get up? (I know he’s grown but still might be incentive)

[Anonymous]

Does he have a landline that she can call? Or have a friend call?

If not, maybe a burner phone that stays plugged in and charging in his room with the volume up. Used for nothing except wake up calls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just get an "old fashioned" plug in alarm clock. Actually, get two, and one goes across the room.

In the past, this hasn't worked.

What hasn't worked about it? Do the alarm clocks just keep ringing and he ignores them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just get an "old fashioned" plug in alarm clock. Actually, get two, and one goes across the room.

In the past, this hasn't worked.

What hasn't worked about it? Do the alarm clocks just keep ringing and he ignores them?

Yes, like she'll go to work, and he has an appointment, so they set an alarm. An hour later, when she can't reach him, she'll leave work and go home and the alarm is blaring and he's fast asleep.

She says he'll wake up to her voice, and wonders if maybe an alarm with her voice, perhaps in conjunction with a bed shaker?

[Anonymous]

He needs to take his meds earlier in the evening.
He needs to set 2 alarms,
put a post it on the bathroom mirror as a reminder to set his alarms in the evening. Or somewhere else he will see it.

Some of the issues here sound like he is not being accountable for himself. He knows he needs to get up for work and shouldnt be relying on his mother to get him up. He needs to find a solution that works for him and being independent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He needs to take his meds earlier in the evening.
He needs to set 2 alarms,
put a post it on the bathroom mirror as a reminder to set his alarms in the evening. Or somewhere else he will see it.

Some of the issues here sound like he is not being accountable for himself. He knows he needs to get up for work and shouldnt be relying on his mother to get him up. He needs to find a solution that works for him and being independent.

same poster, We use Alexa for DD with adhd. if no Alexa just a regular travel alarm clock, one on his bed next to pillow and one on other side of the room so he has to get up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just get an "old fashioned" plug in alarm clock. Actually, get two, and one goes across the room.

In the past, this hasn't worked.

Then you have to hire someone, give them a key, and have them come over and wake him up. Or accept he misses work.

NP with a son who has serious mental illness and takes heavy duty medications including a sleeping medication. Work is one of the things that keeps my son stable. So missing work is really detrimental to everything. I can't emphasize just how important it is.

OP, things that we've tried many things including plug in very loud alarm clocks and vibrating alarm clocks. Together they work if they get set. But, really what we have to do is this. We have to communicate at night to be sure devices are plugged in and set. Before I go away, I used to have to preset the alarms for the entire time I was away. If my son didn't answer the phone for our evening call, I'd keep hitting find my phone over and over until he called back (usually irritated, but whatever). Then in the morning, I would call and if I didn't get an answer I'd keep hitting find my phone until I got a call back. And, I'd also track on find my phone to be sure he was on the way to work when he should be so I could intervene if he wasn't. Another thing is that we keep all alcohol out of the house and as a condition for living with us, there is no drug use permitted other than what his doctor prescribes.

Another alternative is getting someone to come in and help out in the mornings to make this happen. I'm sure there is some sort of home health service she could pay if she didn't have a friend who could help.

It's a lot, but the good news for us is that we've progressed past the point of needing this. He gets himself up on his own now. Good luck to your friend. The medications needed for stability are no joke when it comes to the side effects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He needs to take his meds earlier in the evening.
He needs to set 2 alarms,
put a post it on the bathroom mirror as a reminder to set his alarms in the evening. Or somewhere else he will see it.

Some of the issues here sound like he is not being accountable for himself. He knows he needs to get up for work and shouldnt be relying on his mother to get him up. He needs to find a solution that works for him and being independent.

same poster, We use Alexa for DD with adhd. if no Alexa just a regular travel alarm clock, one on his bed next to pillow and one on other side of the room so he has to get up.

ADHD and psychosis are two very different things.