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My 77 year old mom has hallucinations or is it the anxiety meds. she's on? I can't tell if mom is in late stage dementia or not. She has been incontinent with her bladder for awhile but is now with bowels. She is on anxiety medicine. She is having hallucinations but I don't know if its due to the medicines or just the disease. She doesn't know anyone by name any more but does still have some face recognition. She has severe back pain from previous surgery. she is starting to hold food and fluid in her mouth and has started spilling her drinks and food on the table and floor. My mom is 77 and was diagnosed in 2009 but we know she has had it longer than that. I love her so much I hate seeing her struggle every day. She lives with me and I wouldn't have it any other way.

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Ginney, it could be from either. Hallucinations are common in some forms of dementia. And they can be a medicine side-effect. A UTI can also cause this. Discuss this with her doctor to see if something can be done to reduce the hallucinations.

Meanwhile, try not to argue about what she says she sees. Acknowledge her reality without necessarily agreeing with her. If she sees children in the room, you might say something like, "Children can really brighten up a room, can't they?"

In general, benign hallucinations or delusions don't need treatment. If she sees cats and she likes cats, no problem. My husband saw a dead body in our bedroom but it didn't bother him a bit. He was too busy playing CSI on the scene! But hallucinations that frighten her or keep her from sleeping are worth medical attention.

When you are discussing this with her doctor, you might consider asking about hospice care. If Mom is in a late stage this could help you both a lot.
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Halucinations are very common with someone having Lewy Body Dementia. My father had it and it was heartbreaking to see him go through it. There is a website and foundation with lots of information , I think it's Lewy Body Dementia Foundation. I sympathize with what you are going through, God bless you!
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Yes, hallucinations are very common in one with dementia. Do not argue with the patient; just go along with him/her.We have to enter their world, not expect them to remain in ours. Months ago, I found my husband swatting away in our bedroom with the fly swatter. I asked him what he was doing. He said, "I'm trying to kill four big bugs in here." I said, "Here, why don't you give me that fly swatter and I'll see if I can kill them for you." He handed me the swatter, and I began swatting away. I swatted four big swats since he said there were four bugs. Then I said, "There! I killed them all!" He smiled and said, "What a woman," and then got back into bed. :)
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My mom has Lewy Body too, and she had visual hallucinations. She is better since taking medication. There may come a time you might have to find a place where they can take care of her. My mother started falling a lot and screaming all night. I'm sorry you are going through this and for your mom also.
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I commend you for taking such good care of your mother. Yes, the dementia is causing her symptoms and only medication can alleviate them. While the medications may cause physical side effects, the goal is now to keep her comfortable and to keep everyone safe.While the delusions or halucinations may seem benign to you, she may be frightened by them. So let her have the medsthat will stop them.
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Ginnny 5: All situations can vary, but I will share and experience from my mom's situation. Dad died at age 81 and my mom after that, lived 10 years out on the farm alone, with only her dog. We kids checked in on her and grandchildren also. She did not wish to live with her kids. She had many health issues, as many older ones do. Broken hip, replaced. Another broken hip, pinned, and then another surgery to replace that hip. She had osteoporosis, so her back was also a mess. With some help through it all, she remained in her home as long as possible. Her doctor gave her what he called it "medicine to help her sleep". ( Mom never questioned the doctors about medications, if they gave her something, she trusted it was always okay.) But what it proved to be was pills for anxiety. She started having all kinds of problems. She would tell the same story to my sister and me , separately, but same story, of seeing a man walking down her sidewalk with overalls and a white shirt on. Once he went down one direction through the sheds outside, and another time down sidewalk straight west toward implement shed. Finally when my son was called up to turn off the lights out in the shed on a snowy day, I happened to stop in to share pizza with her at the same time my son was there, unbeknown to me, checking out the light in the shed and the footprints outside her window in the snow. By then things were coming together a bit. My son said, no light was on in shed grandma, and no foot prints in the snow except the ones I made. She said, " Am I losing my mind?" I said to her, "mom, you recall you started on a medication recently to help you sleep, but it is actually an anxiety pill that can cause you to see things that are not there. (I had looked the medication up on line and read the possible side effects.) So she replied, "Well, I am just going to stop taking that then." And she did improve when quitting the medicine. Some times, it appears doctors try one thing and then another to give comfort to their patients, only to find that sometimes the meds side effects prove to be worse than the condition they are trying to help. Mom's eye sight and bones proved to decline, due to having been given the drug predizone (spelling?) for a health condition. Her bones and eyes took it' toll on her and she become bedfast and blind the last four years of her life..To this day, I feel like the medications she was given harmed her more than helped her, but so it goes. She lived to be 98 years old, but her quality of life left something to be desired, especially after having to be in a care center the last seven years of her life. She had been a hard working, caring person in her younger days, and it was a very difficult thing to see her go through those trying last years. I can certainly understand how you feel and wish things were better for your loved one. Keep on loving, caring and enduring, while trying to keep your health well and strong. Love to you. Hugs sent your way. joylee
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Without knowing a little more information, I have to agree with jeannegibbs. Urinary Tract Infections can cause all sorts of complications one of which having hallucinations. So can being dehydrated and medications. It doesn't necessarily mean that she has late stage dementia although it certainly could be dementia. I would definitely take her to her doctor for a thorough evaluation. Won't know anything until you do. I have a very good friend who has parkinsons. He had surgery to correct the tremors but is having memory problems now. No hallucinations......yet. I will certainly be on the lookout for that. Good Luck and God Bless
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HI!

that was the first sign for me that something was wrong with my mom. She was convinced something bad had happened to her and I knew it hadn't but I could not do anything to make it right. It was an absolute nightmare. Oddly in a few weeks she seemed to forget about it. Which became a clue. And this group helped me tremendously. First thing is look at her meds. You mentioned anxiety meds. My mom was on Ativan and doctors later told me it can increase odds of dementia. Unfortunately, she accidentally took one extra pill a day...for a few days and this was when the trouble accelerated. So look at all of her meds and ask your doctor could she be having any issues due to those. Perhaps there are some alternatives. Also, get under the care of a geriatric psychiatrist. They will help evaluate her situation....ie. is it dementia..is it the pills.....Tramadol --a pain med they gave my mom for her back problems caused severe paranoia...she was convinced this time even more so that terrible things were happening. It was like hallucinations. Also if possible, without upsetting her, if you can video tape her in a state, and show the doctor it might help. My mom was blind so it was easier for me to use my phone to do. It helped me show the doctor what I was talking about as when she went to the doctor, she downplayed it. At least for as long as she could. Wish you lots of luck, Keep coming back to this site and updating --the people here got me through the hardest time of my life!! They will guide you through too.
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Beck,,,,, My partner has hallucinations but during the day. At night, after he falls asleep he will talk out loud. Last night he was talking to his son who lives in Germany. The conversations are gentle and not with any anger. During the day, he will suddenly start to ask me questions that make no sense or make a flat out statement that does not compute. He has Parkinson and he is on two Anti Depressant meds and Ropinerol. I just let him go on. I found if I try to get involved in the night time talking, he does get angry. It is like I am interfering with a personal conversation.
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Have you had her blood tested specifically for possible low sodium levels? Definitely my mother's bouts with low sodium caused hallucinations. My younger 60 year old friend had a serious UTI infection and had hallucinations, vertigo, she thought she was having a stroke or seizure...
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