This from Cleveland Clinics “you can have mild paranoid concerns without having psychosis. In fact, mild paranoia is quite common in the general population.”
This is an excellent article and explains when a person with paranoia may need professional help and what it actually is. For instance, it’s not anxiety or depression but it can cause both.
It may help him to be put on meds for anxiety and agitation. Is anyone his PoA? Is anyone able to take him in to see his primary doctor? It's ok to tell him a "therapeutic fib" to get him into that appointment (and someone needs to stay in the exam room the entire time to "take notes" and give the doc accurate answers to questions). The doc should be sent a message about concerning behaviors in advance of the appointment, either through his medical portal or by discretely handing the receptionist or nurse a pre-written note. I've done this move for 2 seniors in my family. The medical staff is happy to accommodate family where there are concerns.
His paranoia will most likely get worse. You don't spontaneously heal from it! Paranoia may soon be joined by lack of executive function, wandering, refusal to keep himself clean, leaving stove burners on, and other dementia behavior. Do you in fact know that he hasn't demonstrated other evidence of cognitive loss?
It's a rare 99-year-old who can continue to live on his own. Based on the paranoia, I doubt that he should be doing so now. It's not a big stretch from thinking one of his kids will harm him to believing that other people are taking his money or wanting to kill him, etc. etc. etc. At that point, he gets defensive and combative, and others aren't safe around him.
You need to start thinking about what you will do next. (Do not take him into your home. That is a major mistake!)
“you can have mild paranoid concerns without having psychosis. In fact, mild paranoia is quite common in the general population.”
This is an excellent article and explains when a person with paranoia may need professional help and what it actually is.
For instance, it’s not anxiety or depression but it can cause both.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/paranoia
The article shares at what point to seek medical help.
If you read the symptoms of paranoia I would say about half the US suffers from it.
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Yet paranoia can get go bad quickly, as Fawnby stated.
I'd have him checked for UTI. Could be something that simple. Take him to an Urgent Care to check.
It's a rare 99-year-old who can continue to live on his own. Based on the paranoia, I doubt that he should be doing so now. It's not a big stretch from thinking one of his kids will harm him to believing that other people are taking his money or wanting to kill him, etc. etc. etc. At that point, he gets defensive and combative, and others aren't safe around him.
You need to start thinking about what you will do next. (Do not take him into your home. That is a major mistake!)