The doctors just had to start my mom on anti-psychotic medications due to her hallucinations. They had gotten really bad. Seeing snakes all over her "apartment" (ALF) and circus animals outside of her window. This disease has got to be the hardest thing I have dealt with in life. It is so discouraging to watch such an intelligent vivacious woman reduced to how she is now. I just was not sure if this whole hallucination thing is really related to the Dementia or if I should get further testing. She can't have an MRI due to her pacemaker. She has had CT scans and all turn out normal. I guess I just needed to talk to people who have the same issues I do. SO sad:-(
Are the drugs helping?
So, yes, the hallucinations might be caused by the dementia (even if it is not Lewy Body). I hope Mom has also been checked for a uti.
And, yes, this dealing with this disease is often the most difficult thing we have ever done!
My mom was kinda classic lewy, she remained pretty cognitive & competent even with hallucinations for about 5 years after diagnosis till latter stages.
For lewy, they often have "spacial" vision problems. They can tend to see things in heighten light & shadow. It is as if they are looking at things lit through a "cookie". A cookie is a cucoloris - a big scrim with irregular openings to allow light to pass through & produces a patterned illumination. So that "rabbit" is really a heighten shadow with bunny details. Often they have a lewy shuffle - flat feet when they shuffle walk so if their brain sees the smooth wood floor as cobblestones it's going to mean unsure walking & a fall in the future. I put torch style floor lamps on timers & freestanding outdoor style big candles on higher shelves on timers in moms IL so make the light even & on a schedule. 86'd any patterned rugs & a set of big, deep dark shelved bookcases too & did whatever to make things brighter with even light. Literally the hallucinations were only if it was a dark, prolonged rainy day. Lewy affects a different part of the brain than Alz. For my mom, she could do the clock drawing till about her last 6-8 mos. but at some point sadly all the dementias get to the point where is no cognition. With lewy you just have a longer period till that happens.