How do you handle terrible hallucinations and delusions?

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How do you handle terrible hallucinations and delusions?

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I have started my mom on lemon balm capsules and lemon balm that I rub on her chest. I read that it has been proven to help with anxiety and acting up. Can’t hurt to try.

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Hallucinations are a common symptom of Lewy-Body Dementia. Please ask your physician directly about this type of dementia as there are specific medications to relieve the frightening visual and auditory hallucinations.

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Yes, time to talk to the doctor. Some medications cause hallucinations. Believe it or not, Benydryl caused them in my DH.

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I wish I had an answer for you! My Mother's delusions and hallucinations are getting worse by the week. She hears air messages of people calling her names, telling her horrible things, saying family members are dead.

It doesn't help to tell her these things aren't true. She is to the point of cursing, she has thrown drinks in someone's face, she cries out and yells.

I can only redirect for just a little while. She goes right back to the hallucination and delusion. The best redirect I have found is either getting her to look at Instagram or finding music she really likes.

I like the idea of the worry stone. I need something as well and will try that.

I hope you find something and as I learn I will share, hoping we can both find help.

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hello, I agree, best redirect is music, Hallmark pretty stories, funny or nature beauty videos. They change my mother negative into a positive mood. My mother insists that our house is hers, that she purchased 30 years ago, etc. We change the subject and do not acknowledge her when she talks about it. Good luck, lots of patience🙏🏼🙏🏼

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Diffusing essential oils may help with anxiety and help calm her down. They can also be applied to the bottoms of her feet. Magnesium is another great calming solution. It can be taken orally, applied to the skin or used as a calming foot soak.
Lavender is a wonderful calming oil, Bergmot is great to offset depression.
CBD oil is another fantastic supplement that helps with everything from pain to anxiety, with zero side effects.
There are so many essential oils that have great benefits if used correctly. Do some research and give them a try. It’s much safer than all the pharmaceuticals which are probably adding to the problem.
I truly believe it’s all the drugs that seniors are pumped up with are the problem, and no doctor is going to tell you otherwise. It’s effects their bottom line. Plus, when you have a patient seeing multiple docs for multiple ailments you end up with some deadly life altering pharmaceutical cocktails. And this doesn’t even begin to cover mistakes made in nursing homes giving patients the wrong meds.
For example take a good look at statins. If you do your research you’ll find that they cause memory problems and lead to dementia. Just saying.
IMHO the less pharmaceuticals the better, in fact zero pharmaceuticals is best.

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You really think oils help people with dementia?

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Has this been discussed with her doctor - my father went through way too many of these - usually it was how we knew he had a UTI cuz he would just talk out of his head and one time actually crawled next door to my brother's house (in snow and freezing cold) because he was convinced the house was on fire and "they" were trying to kill him!!
The ER each time would give him different meds to combat the "hallucinations" but usually antibiotics and an iv drip would do the trick.
But yes - all too aware of how "real" these are - talk to her doctor.

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God bless you!
I hugged mom and loved her
mom always settled down when I
prayed in her ear and cuddled her
I wish I could do that again

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You should find out what of her medications are manifesting into bad hallucinations.

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My mother did all of this and I realized if I agreed with her she calmed down. It usually was worse with a UTI or if her rhematoid was flaring up! They don't feel pain the same after the disease progresses. I would say we will laugh at this together. My oldest sister would be agitated and always tried to correct her in which she said made her feel dumb. My motto was "mind over matter". Her hallucinations calmed down as she progressed and she never forgot me. I brightened her world because I respected her moods and yes they were trying. I remember her getting back up every time I put her to bed then I remembered reading that the dark rooms at night terrifies them. So I turned the lights on and laid with her. Put yourself in their shoes and think about how you would want to be treated, I remembered the night's she stayed up with me and never complained(Yes, I laughed and got back up). You all will need breaks and sometimes their nurse will need breaks because this is always challenging. I suggest learning when to laugh and when to be firm, but most of all be consistent and it will make your life easier. Teach them to trust and remind them to call on God! The last few months we had to lift her, change her, feed her, etc. This is the most crucial time but know you made It! There journey with this terrible disease is almost over so there's no sense in turning your back on the last few months. Every day know that "This too shall pass." It becomes a little easier because the combative ways leave and they will sit and talk to you and themselves. My sister said, why do you sit, talk, laugh, and carry on a conversation? It helped me and my mother prepare our goodbyes and I need to know about this monster that stole my strong mother. I pray each of you can find some humour with your situation and continue to show love. It truly made a difference. We made it! Bettye4girls
P.s. My mother also showed signs of Parkinson's with the shaking hands and hallucinations. So try the Neurologist because they're experienced in anything neurological. Her medications were for the dementia and lots of pain meds. She also had a pill at night that was supposed to help her sleep but it rarely did its job. Put alarms on your doors and use the camera monitoring systems...they help

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Thank you for your post. It helps to know other people are dealing with the same thing. I have read and re-read everything here. I wish I was dealing with Planet Xenon haha! In our case it is demons ugh! They are bothering my mother in her crotch. She sits on ice to keep them from entering. There is a lot more to her story but that is the gist of it. At first I tried reasoning and just got push back and anger to which I responded in anger and it was awful. But you've got to try right? Now I don't try to reason with her but she remembers when I did so she gets angry at any comment or question I ask about the demons. Even though it hurts for her to get so angry at me when I'm only trying to help, I have not given up on her. I also felt the need to protect her dignity so it was frustrating when this delusion didn't go away but got even weirder. She lives in her own house (so I really feel for you since you live with your mother) and she drives, prepares meals, pays bills etc. and she is 90 bless her heart. Getting answers has been hard. I have pretty much had to diagnose this myself. I finally talked to a psychologist yesterday who helped point me to a neuropsychiatrist that might help. I guess now it is all about the drugs to try to solve the problem. So the things I have learned from reading all the comments are: check for UTI's, Seroquel, go along with the delusion since it is very real to them and it is useless to try to convince them otherwise and take a break for yourself. It is hard to live in crazy world 24/7. I hope your sister is able to give you some relief so you can re-connect with the real world. I call my brother the "golden chid" since he has always been able to go along with her story. She tries to get to me by saying that he understands everything and I should ask him about it. I want to say "he thinks you are crazy" but I don't. I bite my tongue. Be as patient as you can with your mom and be patient with yourself because it truly is a tough job you are doing. Forgive yourself when you lose patience. It is tough to walk the line between being there and caring for her without giving up your own sanity. Prayers for you! You've got this!

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if she's on Vesicare (bladder control), not that it causes problems, but when we stopped it - hallucinations stopped. make sure they are getting enough fluids as well.

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Another thing to consider is dehydration. It can make an elderly person act weird.

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I'm new to this site. I've been taking care of my mom for ten years and the hallucinations are relatively new. She was in the hospital for something else and had a screaming fit over kids and they sent her to the med-psych ward. There, they prescribed respiridone. They had her on something else as a patch, 'claudipin'? or something they said was for BP. I walked in and she was totally over-drugged, could barely talk, etc. and I had a fit. They immediately pulled the patch off and she came out of it. I asked the dr about it but she insisted it was for BP. When I picked up her outpatient meds from the pharmacy, the first line of RISPERIDONE was
WARNING: There may be a slightly increased risk of serious, possibly fatal side effects such as stroke, heart failure, fast/irregular heartbeat, pneumonia, when this mediation is used by older adults with dementia. This medication is not approved for the treatment of dementia-related behavior problems.
My mom is 88. I stopped it immediately and made an appointment with a geriatrist. Her appointment is tomorrow. Be careful what meds they prescribe. I don't believe they always care enough.

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I wonder what the doctor said? A psychologist who is not my mother's doctor advised me that those anti-psychotic drugs can be dangerous but also they can be used on the elderly and she thought my mother needed them. I was insisting that she take them but backed off when I read that they can be bad. I'm waiting to get into a geriatric specialist in mid April. I have read that certain illnesses can cause hallucinations.

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Follow-up to earlier post: Paxil suggested by GP has been a HUGE help for my MIL - brighter mood, less perseveration, much less ‘doom and gloom’. Not much for the med bandwagon usually, and it isn’t a total ‘miracle cure’, but certainly things are much, much better. Just FYI for other folks dealing with anxious depression or other troubled seniors..

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Thanks for the post. I too am suspicious of all these mood meds so it helps to hear a success story.

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How do you handle terrible hallucinations and delusions?

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