Hi. Please can you tell me if a resident is sleeping should they be woken up and asked if they want to get up? I have always been led to believe that if they are asleep that they must be still tired.

Answered by Sheila Scott

Dear R,

Thank you for your question and the answer would normally be no. 

You should refer to the individual’s care plan and that should record the wishes of the service user.

So it could say this person likes to be woken at 8 am each morning with a cup of tea. Alternatively, it might say that the service user likes to sleep as long as possible in the morning. There are any number of alternatives.

The care plan should be kept under regular review so if the wishes of the service user change then that will be recorded in the care plan.

The wishes of the individual are of paramount importance although there could sometimes be a medical reason why a service user should be woken up. For instance, a Doctor may have decided that it is important that an insulin-dependent diabetic should receive their injection and then breakfast at specific times.

There may be other occasions when a Doctor has decided that a person should be woken at a particular time.

Normally though it would be for the service user to decide and I would not expect anyone to be woken up to be asked if they wanted to get up.

You should always refer to the care plan.

Best wishes,

Sheila