As Alzheimer’s disease progresses in your loved one, you may notice that she starts to suffer from delusions or hallucinations. A hallucination is when the person is seeing, hearing, smelling or feeling something that is not really there. And a delusion is a false belief that the patient thinks is real.
Keep these important tips in mind if your loved one is suffering from hallucinations or delusions:
- A hallucination or delusion may be a sign of an actual physical illness other than the disease itself. It is a good idea to keep written track of what your loved one seems to be experiencing.
- You should not ever argue with your loved one with what she thinks she is seeing or hearing. You should try to respond to her feelings that she is experiencing. Try to give her comfort if she is showing fear.
- You should also try to distract her with another topic or some sort of activity. Most Alzheimer’s patients have a short attention span and memory, and they can be fairly easy to distract to get their mind onto something else. If you take your loved one to another room or take her outside, this can get her mind on something else.
- Shut off the TV if there are any violent or disturbing programs being shown. Some people who have Alzheimer’s disease cannot easily distinguish between reality and make believe.
- Talk with her doctor about any illnesses she has had in the recent past or what drugs she is taking for her disease. It is not unusual for a medicine or an illness to cause some hallucinations
Wandering – Another Alzheimer’s Issue
One of the key parts of caring for your loved one is to keep her safe. Some people who have been diagnosed with the disease may tend to wander away when they are not being watched. You should limit your loved one’s ability to wander off as much as you can.
- Be sure that she has some sort of ID on her that is not easy to remove.
- Think about enrolling her in the Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return program. If she is lost and cannot communicate, her ID will let others know about her condition.
- Let your neighbors know that your loved one may wander and they should alert you if they see her outside by herself.
- Have a recent photograph of your loved on ready if she becomes lost. You can show this to the police to get her home safely.
To help to prevent your loved one from wandering off, you should consider purchasing the Wireless Wander Door Alarm. This handy product will alert the caregiver if the patient tries to leave a room or go outside. This is a wireless alarm system that has a door and window sensor that is easy to attach to a door or a window.
Other Alzheimer’s aids are available that can help you too. The Safe-T-Mate Stop Sign Banner can be placed in a door way so that your loved one is reminded to not enter that room.