How do I gently explain to my mother that the hallucinations she sees are not real?

Question

How do I gently explain to my mother that the hallucinations she sees are not real?

Follow

Share

I have tried to let her know that the things she is seeing are not real and sometimes she agrees, however, the situation is escalating. She is becoming more and more agitated about the people she sees. Last week I had to write a letter to the "woman" she sees to "evict" her from the property and inform her that she will face legal action for trespassing. Now she wants me to take the letter to the property manager and have maintenance come and check the locks. I fear that this only gets worse. She has not been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or Dementia. Please advise...

Delusions Hallucinations Mental Health

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.

21 Answers

Most
Helpful Newest
First Oldest
First

take her to primary care physician and get things sorted out for your mother....

Helpful Answer (0)

Report

You should examine what medications are causing these hallucinogenic thoughts. My late mother experienced some "powerfel to her" fake hallucinogenic visual and auditory things upon being given some medications.

Helpful Answer (2)

Report

(0)

Report

See 1 more reply

Maybe have her check for UTI (urinary tract infection).

Helpful Answer (5)

Report

Yes, I can very possibly attest to this! My dad fell and broke his hip in July and had a long seeies of pain meds, but his main problem was that he developed recurrent UTIs because he had a Foley catheter put in after the operation. He was in an SNF and twice taken to the hospital for what ultimately were diagnosed as UTIs. Each time, though he had no residual effects at those points of anesthesia or pain killers, he developed significant hallucinations. As soon as the anabiotics worked to clear the UTIs, the hallucinations disappeared as well. In my totally non-med opinion, I’m going to suggest that it could be any type of infection, not just a UTI, which could affect the body and the mind in this way, so it might be well worth a dr visit to assess. Good luck!

(3)

Report

My father starting having hallucinations when he was in the hospital. And they were so real to him. After checking for any infections we went to see a neurologist. He said no dementia and that the hallucinations would go away that it was probably the trauma from being in the hospital. That was back in february. He still has hallucinations when hes real tired. And we just play along with it. I hope everything gets better gor you and your family.

Helpful Answer (2)

Report

My mom does the same thing she hears and sees people in her room. She thinks they are living under her house and or crawling through holes in the floor. It drives me nuts. I have heard that this happens before people pass on they see people from the other side. I don’t want to alarm you and this may not be the case at all but I’ve heard this many times. My ex mother in law saw people for a month knocking on the window and waving at her to come with them. I do believe in things like this. I don’t know if it’s brain chemistry or if it’s true. With my mother I just change the subject and just make it as comfortable for her as I can. If that means writing eviction notices then so be it. You don’t have to bring it to the Managment just tell her you did. Good luck. I know it’s hard. But it was hard on them to raise us as little ones also. What comes around goes around.

Helpful Answer (2)

Report

Is it possible to get assistance from others?

She wants you to write and have her evicted, could someone she knows has authority come and explain that the offender has been evicted and will be gone today, thank you for bringing her disturbing behavior to our attention.

I feel that the more we inform those around our loved ones the more compassion they will receive, sometimes what looks like a crazy, mean old bat is a sick person that needs our understanding, instead of us crossing the street to avoid the meany, as it were.

Hugs to you for all you do for your mom, she is blessed to have you.

Helpful Answer (2)

Report

Have u ever Google the side effects ..maybe the medacations wrong medacation..rt med rt amount ..I always lissen to how they feel..altimers ..deminsha .is memory ..But People dont understand that u can be over medacated ! Its sad ..

Helpful Answer (1)

Report

A year or so before I put my Mom in Assisted Living she went through this. It was very difficult because she was also accusing me of all kinds of crazy things....turns out that in addition to her dementia she has a touch of Parkinsons. Perhaps your Mom does as well? Hallucinations are a common symptom in the early stages. My mother's hallucinations did stop. Talk to her doctor. She may need to see a neurologist. I didn't find any of this out until she went to the ER and they took scans of her brain and the neurologist came in to talk to me.

Helpful Answer (3)

Report

Is it common for LB hallucinations to stop, and at what stage in the disease process?

(0)

Report

It seems very possible that a dementia such as Lewy Body is at work here, and in addition there may be a case of UTI that isn't severe enough to cause pain, fever, etc. I believe it is time for a formal diagnosis to know the the current "baseline" is so symptoms can be put into perspective.

Helpful Answer (6)

Report

Hi there! I am dealing with fairly moderate symptoms of dementia with my mother, who is 85.
What is Lewy Body? I have wanted my mother to go to a neurologist for years!

(1)

Report

See 1 more reply

You don’t explain they aren’t real. To her they are real. Validate her fears, going along as best you can. Once I realized this with Mom, it was so much easier for both of us. She was scared & looking for reassurance. Reassurance I could give her. Yes, oftentimes I felt like Alice when she went down the rabbit hole; however, that was my mom’s world now & one of my responsibilities was to keep her safe in there. Trying to pull her back into my reality wasn’t fair to her.

I remember hearing about the mirrors trick (covering them) 30 years ago. My grandmother was suffering from anxiety with “those people in there” & it was suggested by an elderly friend because it worked with her own grandmother 40 years prior.

Hugs to you.....this is so very hard.

Helpful Answer (5)

Report

I had a client once who would experience hallucinations and I witnessed her psychiatrist talking to her one day as she was experiencing her hallucinations. Here is what he did; The women shifted her conversation to the other person in the room (hallucination), the doctor asked the women if she would have this person (hallucination) sign something for him and gave his patient a pen to hand to her. When she tried to give the other person (hallucination) the pen it just fell to the floor. The patient picked up the pen thinking she dropped it and tried to hand it to her again. After a few times the doctor explained to her that what she was experiencing although real to her did not really exist. The women realized at that time that what she was seeing was not real.

I don't know if something like this would help in your situation but it might be worth a try.

Helpful Answer (2)

Report

She needs to see a doctor.

Helpful Answer (2)

Report

Sometimes it can be best to try disproving the hallucinations or distract from them rather than try to explain they are not real. Maybe go for a walk to a different part of the house for instance. I’ve also heard there is a new med for the hallucinations that can accompany Parkinson’s. Don’ know If it can help hallucinations that accompany other illnesses. But first, definitely have her tested as others have said. Wishing you strength, wisdom, and peace for this journey.

Helpful Answer (2)

Report

Hello Cs1stDaughter,
As already mentioned here in other posts - infections are one possible cause.
And, certain medications can cause/exacerbate hallucinations in susceptible people. In Lewy Body Disease or Parkinson's with Lewy bodies, Neuroleptics and Anticholinergics are two classes of possibly, (and often!), offending drugs.
Lewy Body Disease does not present very often, with cognitive impairment and dementia until the very advanced stages, and sometimes there's no obvious dementia - but fluctuation of cognition presents. Hallucinations will often be present in early LBD.
You may know all this (but still, many health professionals don't,) so to your question as to how to manage the hallucinations present for whatever reason -- yes, you go along with the person; reassure them as often as it takes, that these visions they ARE seeing ARE harmless, but, you'll take take care of them. When things settle down, sometimes a day or so later, (but you do definitely need to gauge the receptiveness and mood), you can slowly bring them to realise themselves ... not by denying any visions, nor make any referance to theirs! - but work into conversation that you recall times you had visions when you had a fever or whatever.... A technique I used that worked - so well in fact that the LO was reassuring another LO in time... Amazing to witness!
It's all about reassurance.
Do hope this helps - also comforting to know that if the person has Lewy, the hallucinations become much less frightening as time goes by. Usually visions of little children ....
Take care yourself -- LBD is very hard on primary carer, too. It of course in your LOs case may not also be LBD....
God bless

Helpful Answer (3)

Report

In addition to UTI or early stages of one of the organic dementias ... are there mirrors in the house?

Many elders who seem otherwise cognitively intact don't recognize themselves in the mirror. (I'm 72 and usually am shocked to see 'my mother' first thing in the morning when I'm half asleep). In the early stages of a dementia process -- when folks are still capable in many other respects -- people can be frightened about that 'stranger' and not realize they're seeing a reflection, much less that it's themselves.

You can cover the mirrors with a piece of cloth, or soap them up. If you can replace them with a framed picture about the same size some people won't even notice. This may successfully 'evict' the 'stranger' she is afraid of.

It may also be wise to look for other symptoms and causes. Is she eating appropriately? getting enough protein, vitamin B, etc? Is something disturbing her sleep (like, say, a neighbor's new yard light)? And definitely rule out a UTI. It's amazing how much a UTI after 70 or so can look exactly like dementia or delirium ... and the person seem 'miraculously recovered' after 48 hours of treatment.

Helpful Answer (6)

Report

UTIs, cellulitis, pneumonia, hypoxia and other infections can definitely exaccerbate hallucinations in individuals with an underlying frontotemporal lobe dementia such as Lewy Body dementia.

Also, isolation contributes to the hallucinations. It might be time to discuss an assisted living arrangement so that your mother is around others during the day and a loved one at night.

Helpful Answer (4)

Report

Sunshine, not at all the case with the elderly, especially if they have dementia. They can have infections that cause hallucinations and delusions without a fever or other symptoms that you list. An elder with a UTI does not necessarily experience painful or frequent urination either. Their brains are not functioning correctly and send false signals and other symptoms.

Helpful Answer (9)

Report

Quite. And not only that, but also older people often have a standing prescription for pain relief which may also suppress u.t.i. symptoms.

It is dangerous to make assumptions, and easy to make certain - which leaves absolutely no excuse for not testing.

(6)

Report

You need to get her evaluated and a urine test. UTI will do what ur explaining. Don't telll her she is wrong. Like writing that letter, play along for now. But get her to a doctor. UTIs can become septic. She needs antibiotics.

Helpful Answer (1)

Report

she would have a lot more symptoms if she had an infection..temperature, pain on urination, frequent inadequate urination, abdominal pain...the list is long. Hallucinations as a result of infections occur when the temperature becomes very high...not otherwise.

(0)

Report

See 2 more replies

Has this been going on very long? Any medication changes? UTI’s can make the elderly really wacky, and they don’t always complain about burning or frequent urination like a younger person. My mom was having hallucinations, along with a few other issues which led to a Lewey Body diagnosis. When she has hallucinations, if it’s something harmless, I say nothing. Sometimes she says I’m blind, because I can’t see what she says.

Helpful Answer (3)

Report

Well, the first thing to do is get a diagnosis. If she does have dementia, look for Teepa Snow videos on YouTube. She has some good ones on how to handle upsetting hallucinations. (Don't argue is one tip I remember.)

There is also a book called I'm Not Sick I Don't Need Help by Dr. Xavier Amador. It deals with schizophrenia and not dementia but the tips on how to handle delusions might be helpful.

Best of luck going forward.

Helpful Answer (5)

Report

Has she been checked Blair a UTI? Start with a trip to the doc.

Helpful Answer (3)

Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.

How do I gently explain to my mother that the hallucinations she sees are not real?

21 Answers

Recent Questions

Popular Questions

Related Questions