Does anyone know how long a person with significant Dementia, (Vascular and Alzheimers) will have paranoia? My LO has been in ALF for a few months and most of the time happy there and very fond of the staff.(She has severe memory loss, knows almost no personal information, is in a wheelchair from fractured spine and hand, can stand briefly, and is urinary incontinent. Was recently so weak she could barely get out of bed. Gets confused on how to turn wheel on wheel chair)
Only lately she's been wanting to go home and now is upset about lots of things. She is upset about things that make no sense. She wants to know who is doing this to her, but she can't say what it is. She says she's sorry for causing this problem, but she can't say what the problem is. One minute she has the paranoia, the next, she's fine and doesn't have it. She wants me to get the bottom of who is doing this to her, but she can't say what.
What's so odd is that her energy level is much better than before and she seems more alert. She's also on an antidepressant that seems to be helping the depression and pain. Now that she's feeling better, I guess she has more energy to be paranoid.
I just wonder if this goes through a cycle. Could she continue with the paranoia until she is no longer able to communicate verbally?
In regards to watching television, of course shows with detailed plots are most difficult to understand but even comedy and entertainment shows can be difficult to follow. Game Shows are very good at holding attention spans. Although it might be difficult to grasp the entire shows concept game shows are generally upbeat. They are easier to follow in some ways because when show participants win everybody is happy. The audience applauds and cheers them on. This creates an upbeat mood that can be infectious and tends to keep an Alzheimer's patient engaged longer. You can ask the facility if they subscribe to the game show network.
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