Given that OP's name is "can't sleep," I think this must be happening at night. Surely you don't expect someone to accompany this elderly person all day AND all night, when he should be sleeping anyway, do you? Sounds to me like this family has made themselves available to him 24 hours by showing him how to wake them while they're sleeping. I'd say that's very accommodating rather than cruel.

Come on 31. We took care of my grandmother at home till the day she died. Why, because she was more comfortable. She freaked every time we put her in a hospital. At night we had to teach her how to get our attention, otherwise we would sleep when she needed something. Sleep is a natural thing you know.

Yes, because leaving him alone at night to sleep is elderly endangerment? From the title it sounds like this is a night thing, which really seem perfectly fine.

#35 you dont know what he is remembering and what he is forgetting. stop assuming.

Ah, and there's the rub. Here in the States, a quality nursing home is going to cost an arm and a leg (think $7000/month or more). Medicare doesn't pay room and board for long term care, and most nursing homes are moving away from LTC to strictly Rehab (which Medicare DOES pay for). Medicaid does pay room and board, but the facilities only have a few Medicaid beds at any given time, and no longer take patients "Public Aid pending" meaning they filled out the papers but haven't officially gotten it yet. What I'm trying to say, is, unless your name is Rockefeller or you have one Hell of a retirement portfolio, you're pretty much screwed here when you get old, unless you have family willing and able to care for you.

If I ever start showing signs of possible dementia/Alzheimer's I'm moving to a place where I could choose euthanasia before I lost myself entirely. The idea is terrifying.