Behavior Discussion # 2 -- Hallucinations: Strangers are in the house (wrap up)

[Guest guest]

(updated wrap up - since we had a few others after first wrap up)

So how have any of you handled this behavior -- Hallucinations:

Strangers are in the house.

I can't participate much in this discussion. Mom had a few fears of

people coming to get her in her early stages. In hindsight, for her,

I believe it was some remnants of her dreams. She tried calling 911 a

couple of times in the ALF because of these fears/hallucinations. We

were so new to all this we didn't know what to do. I would hear what

she had to say re: her fears of people / strangers - I'd validate

what she was saying and redirect the conversation elsewhere. It

usually worked.

Here are links regarding Validation Therapy:

Using Validation Therapy to Manage Difficult Behaviors

As a caregiver, you have been introduced to a new and different

world - the world of dementia. People who inhabit the world of

dementia are in a very different place than those of us who live

in " Reality " (whatever that is). (suggested by carolann135246)

http://www.ec-online.net/Community/Activists/difficultbehaviors.htm

Validation Therapy

Link to post with an excerpt from a book about Naomi Feil's

validation therapy

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/LBDcaregivers/message/65437

--

My father has 2 hallucinations about strangers in the house.

Sometimes he'll cautiously stand up, put on a hat or two or three and

head out the door. I'll grab his coat and go outside with him for a

walk or drive. He does this when 'some guy' keeps saying 'What are

you doing in here? Get out of here!' He gets afraid of the house and

wants to leave. It may take an hour or two for it to pass. I think it

might be the same guy that says blahblahblahblahblah all the time and

makes him not able to talk when he wants to.

The other hallucination is when 11 guys are in the house or yard.

It's always 11 guys and he has to protect himself. He starts

gathering items he can use as weapons like belts, books, brushes and

canes and will load them in his pockets. Yes, even the cane goes in

his pocket. He gets a really mean look on his face and starts

pointing and making menacing gestures at the guys. He's really scared

to death but he's ready to defend his home. I have a short speech

explaining LBD and some of the tricks it plays on his mind and body.

If he nods in agreement, I slowly move toward him and he'll let me

put my arm around him. I have to hold him and keep rocking, talking,

reading or singing until it passes.

If he doesn't nod, and continues the menacing gestures, I know he's

going to start kicking, biting, throwing, swinging and urinating on

anyone that gets too close. Needless to say, this hallucination is

much more of a problem for us. On several occasions it has resulted

in him being restrained by us or the police. After it passes and he

calms down, he seems to have no recollection of the episode and looks

at us in disbelief when we tell him why the house is wrecked and how

the windows or chairs got broken up. Also, it literally scares the

pee out of him. It seems like he has 2 gallons to get rid of after

his frightful episodes. He calms down much faster after he urinates.

Adrienne

--

My 76 year old mother was diagnosed with LBD this past July.

She lived alone at the time. She told us of stories about kids in the

garage and up in her attic smoking and having a party. She repeatedly

called the police and the fire departments to the point that they

were threatening to call Family Services.

We unsuccessfully tried to use logic and reasoning with her. We even

took her to the attic so that we could see that no one was there.

These efforts did no good. In fact, our effort to look only supported

her feelings that we also thought someone was in the attic.

Otherwise, we wouldn't have looked. We moved her to our house for a

while and she continued to have issues with people upstairs. We live

in a two story and this change, I believe, confused her more. (She

lived in a one story ranch.)

My mother is now in a nursing home near us where she is safe and

healthy. She still has the delusions but at least she is in a fully

supervised environment.

Sorry I don't have any good answers. However, I do know the efforts

above don't work.

--

My mother heard strangers in the house, saw snakes on the floor, and

a pink squirrel in the back yard. All these have seemed to be very

real to her. I don't believe it does any good to overreact or to

attempt to convince an LBD patient that these don't exist. If you go

down this path they just seem to get agitated. I roll with each punch

and am matter of fact with my response, usually that I didn't see

such an occurrence and move on to the next subject.

--

My husband has had several years of " strangers " . At first he knew they

were not real and was able to ignore them. Then he lost that ability

to do that, and they became " zombies " to him. I believe he was running

from " zombies " when he had the fall that broke his vertebrae.

The worst times seem to be twilight and night time when lights are on.

At the nursing home I was careful to keep the sheer curtains closed

when it was time to turn the lights on. Others have noted problems

due to reflections, and I found that I didn't need to pull drapes

closed if I had the sheers closed.

Kathy

--

I have been pleased a punch that my husband knew the hallucinations

were not real. He tells them to go home and they do for a while

anyway.

Now, I am looking at him not knowing they are not real. Oh Boy!

We have even surmised together that a hallucination is LBD messing

with the part of the brain where our subconscious is, and the

hallucination is like a real dream. (This is conjecture of course)

I will put the sheer in the living room. I don't want him to start

seeing them in a reflection.

The main thing I do with my husband now is ease his agitation with a

lot of love and hugs. He is naturally an affectionate person, so now

it works to head off the agitation. What happens when it doesn't work?

(My mouth is turned down and I am grimacing)

Love you all,

Imogene

--

Ray was seeing little animals, too fast to catch he said. The

seroquel has stopped the apparent hallucinations but he still has

panic attacks pretty often. He never can express what gets him so

upset. Leona

--

I was very happy that my husband knew they were hallucinations. But,

he doesn't always now.( this is just a few days after my previous

letter)

He sees birds in the yard that aren't there. He'll ask, " Can't you

see it? " I will look and look and and tell him I don't see it. Maybe

he flew away before I looked. " No " he'll argue, " look over there, by

that twig. " There is no bird by the twig.

He always has a different look in his face, and in his eyes, when he

sees a hallucination. It's kind of glazed with looking hard and not

seeing. So, I can tell when he has a hallucination.

The man in my bedroom scared him. He came in and said, " I don't like

this man in your room. " I asked, " What man? " He pointed toward a wall

next to the door and asked, " Can't you see him standing right there? "

The room was not very lit up. So that goes with the twilight part of

some hallucinations. I told him , " No " so Don reached over slowly and

actually finally touched the wall. He had that same look in his eyes.

When the man disappeared Don's eyes took on his normal look, and he

said, " That must have been a hullicination. "

Since then he is beginning to think they are real. Oh boy, here we go.

But, he hasn't seen frightening ones. The speedy cats and squirrles

he has had a long time, and I laughingly tell him, " Aren't you glad

they are darting around playing? " He agrees.

He went out to see about a cat in the back yard one time not long

ago, and was sure the cat needed help. He is not a cat lover, but he

had to help that one. He walked the whole yard, and went up close

behind the house, stepped on a loose brick and fell. He didn't break

anything but still was beat up pretty badly. That hallucination was

real. There was no cat anywhere.

Love a lot, and enjoy life,

Imogene

---

Oh yes, I just remembered the cowboys. Two of them came down from the

attic. Don was going to fight them, then he just asked them, " What

can I do for you? " They faded out quickly.

Those cowboys were here a number of times. It was around the time of

the big rodeo that San puts on every year. It's a big affair.

Many side barns outside, some for dancing, and a beautiful art

exhibit. Of course the animal barn. And the bar with all the fine

livestock.

Not only do they put on a rodeo, but have name bands, Strait,

Alan , and many more. It's held in a large arena. On one side

of the grounds is the ever present carnival, with all it's rides and

side shows.

Everybody buys expensive boots and hats to wear with their jeans and

western shirts. Some are really fancy. The things they wear are very

expensive. They walk around the grounds to see and to be seen.

I guess Cowboys were on Don's mind, because he saw cowboys several

times.

He says he also sees a ring tailed cat. It's not a normal cat. Maybe

an ocelot.

Love a lot, do somebody good,

Imogene

---

I talked with my Dad last night. He said they hadn't gotten much

sleep because Mom was convinced that the Prize Patrol from

Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes were at the door at 2:00 a.m.

and Dad needed to get up and answer the door and claim their

$10,000,000. He convinced her finally (AFTER getting up and going to

the door) that they weren't out there, and as soon as he fell back

asleep, she woke him up and said that the Prize Patrol had put the

check in the mailbox and he should go get it before someone else came

along and stole it.

She's seen her deceased brother and sister-in-law tearing down the

storage shed in their back yard, she's called 911 for non-existent

house fires at my brother's house...*sigh* However, the only things

she sees in the house are demons and angels...so far...I would

appreciate a horse or a cat or even a pink squirrel...*LOL*

Jannis

---

Several years ago before we had a LBD dx, my folks were travelling

back home from a vacation and they stopped in Tallahassee for a day

or so. The first evening they were in the hotel my dad woke up, got

the phone, and called 911 saying that there was a dead body in the

bed next to him! My mom woke up and when she heard what he was saying

she got on the phone trying to explain that he had been dreaming. The

police said that they would have to get the hotel manager to come up

and check out the room which they did. Mom tried to explain that Dad

had always had vivid dreams and would walk around the house looking

for the crying baby which wasn't there.

At home he sees a man lying in his bed sometimes and little children

by the fireplace. The other day there were men trying to fight with

him, so he struck out and almost hit my mom. He did hit the caregiver

the other day--but most of the time his hallucinations are children.

Dianne P

daughter of Bill, 84

---

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Strategies for talking LBD LO through the hallucinations??

Hi all

My sister is trying to get my mom to go to adult day program 2 days

per week instead of one day, especially a day when my sister works at

a day care in the afternoon and my mom has a few hours alone in the

house. Apparently she is taking this urging from my sister personally

and accuses her of being too busy because of all " the other people in

the house " and that is why she is shipping her off to a day program

for another day. see quote below...

from my sister....

" well - she's pushing back about going today but I reexplained

everything and that's that. She says everything was fine until I

invited all these people around and now I'm too busy with these

people and it's tiring me out - she's annoyed. oh well. "

......back to me

I guess I am asking for diplomatic ways that these issues can be

addressed for the LBD LO's own safety when they have great difficulty

seeing it that way.

Any suggestions?

She is on Seroquel just at night - did not tolerate exelon. Is on

Namenda.

Thanks in advance

Elsie B

--

No answers, Elsie. We have the same problem. My mother stands most of

the day because those other people are always on the furniture.

sigh.....

Gladys

--

PS I don't mean to laugh, but sometimes it is funny. My daughter and

I and my sister take turns sleeping at Mom's. The other night around

2:00 am, my daughter awakened to see my always overly modest mother

walking through the living room in her underwear - in front of the

picture window - blinds up - all lights on!! When my daughter asked

her what she was doing she said " the man told me to take my pants off

because he doesn't like ladies wearing pants " . What did my daughter

do? She yelled at the empty chair " This is the 21st century and my

grandmother can wear whatever SHE wants! Got it? " Mom laughed, put

her pants on with a triumphant smile and went back to bed.

LOL

If it wasn't so funny..........

Gladys

--

One or the hardest aspects of dealing with this disease is what to do

about the hallucinations. With my mom, I either met her at her

hallucination (we had the most bizarre conversations sometimes) or I

would try to redirect her attention. Sometimes I just had to plain

ignore her and pretend I didn't hear what she said - not nice but she

would forget what she asked within minutes. Mom would constantly ask

to be brought home and we would spend many hours together " waiting "

for the car to be brought to the front of the house.

For me personally, I find it is a mistake to try to reason with a

person with LBD. They see/hear what they do and no amount of trying

to talk them out of it will help and will only leave you both feeling

awful. Would it help at all if your sister suggested to your mom that

the staff at the day care center really like her and would love to

have her more often to help them out? Yes, I know, a tremendous fib

but it just might work.

Best to you and your mom,

Courage

--

I loved the one (I forgot who wrote it) about grandma in her

underwear. I too have yelled at an empty chair that a witch was

sitting in, taken unseen objects and thrown them away or put them in

my pocket for later and the list goes on and on. Dad told one of his

caregivers one day that he couldn't sit in a particular chair

ecause " one of those creatures that only people with Lewy can see " was

sitting in it. He sees figures with hideous faces which he recently

has taken to calling the " no names " and wants to know why I keep

making them. I guess if we couldn't laugh at some of the

hallucinations we would all go crazy. There are some that can't be

laughed at but a lot of them can be. Oh and the AL hangs pictures in

the dining area that only people with Lewy can see.

Best thing is to just play along. It's hard at first but once you get

the hang of it, it's not so hard. One night Dad wanted me to have a

talk with the person in charge of all the ghosts and goblins. When I

question him as to who I should talk to his response was " You

know...Lucifer " . I told him I really don't like talking to Lucifer

but I would see what I could do.

He wants his rent reduced because they keep moving the walls of his

room and making it smaller. He asked one caregiver how the people got

in the TV. Called me the other day and told me the no names had taken

everything out of his room except the computer monitor and something

else. He called me one night and told me they had taken all the walls

down. I told him not to worry about it, the walls to his room were

still there so just close the door. He wanted to know how I knew he

had walls. I just told him that if he was talking to me on the phone

that meant he was sitting in his chair in his room and not outside.

That satisfied him.

Gotta run...hugs to all.

Leah