I don't want to validate this. I'm at a loss. She hears voices and even thinks there are people in our house. Sometimes she even thinks it's my boyfriend (I don't have one) I tell her I sent the people away, but this doesn't help. She gets up many times a night, afraid. Maybe there is nothing I can do.
I would talk to her doctor about this. There may be a medication that can calm her suspicions. I know they must make her fearful. I feel bad for her and for you. Has she been checked for a UTI? Even a small bladder infection can have big psychological effects for an elderly person with dementia. I hope that you are able to find some relief.
How long has your mother been diagnosed with AD? What meds is she currently taking?
JesseBelle is SO correct... those UTI's are wicked on AD/Demetia loved ones not to mention on us!
Keep us posted :)
Calm reassurances certainly may work, but in the case of my cantankerous mother, after all of us putting up with endless misbehaviors on her part, I finally told her that if she continued raising this level of hell I would put her in a locked door Alzheimers unit. She told me I could not do that against her wishes. I told her she had been declared incompetent months ago. She demanded to know the names of the doctors who did this and I told her. Dementia or not, immediately after that, her attitude changed. That's what worked for me.
I don't believe in contradicting someone who has delusions. I think it's disrespectful and can only worsen the situation. Your mom believing that there are people out to get her is her truth, that's her reality. We don't have to reinforce the delusions but we shouldn't dismiss them either.
I am happy that you wrote in and happy that I have just had an experience that might help. My mom has complete short term memory loss. And, in addition, she was getting really weird emotionally. She was paranoid with a capital P.
She has been in AL only for 6 mos. and they suggested that she go to a special clinic to have her meds adjusted. These clinics are called "senior behavioral clinics"--or something like that. They kept my mom for ten days and gave her a good "tune up." The result? She is no longer paranoid and seems quite content. She is getting much stronger anti-anxiety meds and also memory meds. And I no longer dread visiting her.
I think these clinics are a real miracle. They exist because we need them! The alternative is to go to the doctor every two weeks for a year or so trying to get the meds right. And the adjustments will be made on what we report--not on what an expert observes. We are not experts. So, my advice would be to talk to your family doctor or a geriatric doctor and find out about this. Your mom may well need anti-anxiety meds even though she has no memory loss. Lucky for you. The memory loss is a huge problem that causes much friction in a family.
Good luck and a big hug!
But I didn't even know there was an area agency on aging--so uninitiated was I at the time. They were wonderful and understood right away what was going on. They asked my mom if they should come and evaluate the situation for themselves. She agreed--and now she lives in AL--just what she had not wanted to do!
If your mom can use the phone,you should have all your bases covered. This is a deteriorating disease. It gets worse, not better.