Find Senior Care (City or Zip)
Join Now Log In
D
DomRomCom Asked April 2021

Is it common for people with dementia/Alzheimer's to see kids?

I have had many residents at my facility who have described seeing kids. We have a few ladies who always have their dolls with them which is pretty common in dementia but I've had a lot of residents describe seeing kids, babies in their beds, and even kids covered in blood. For the most part it is pretty easy to redirect my residents and comfort them, but hearing them describe bloody children is definitely creepy. Most of my coworkers are convinced our facility is haunted because theres definitely some weird stuff that happens here but I don't believe that what they are seeing is ghosts or anything. Is there a scientific explanation for why different residents would be seeing bloody children? And a little side note but the residents who see the bloody kids aren't violent in nature and rarely have any behavioral issues, so what may be causing them to see these bloody kids?

Beatty May 2021
I did an free online course called Understanding Dementia (University of Tasmania) which goes quite in-depth into types, symptoms, lived experience & care of people with dementia. Depending on your interest level it may be of interest to you.

Hallucinations of seeing children is very common, especially with LBD, due to abnormal deposits of a protein in the brain. Alz disrupts this communication among neurons. I can't remember all the science now but basically the hallucinations are caused by problems & damage in the brain.

AliBoBali Apr 2021
My grandmother used to talk about her children or other children and when I asked her some questions once, I figured out that she thought her middle aged female caregiver was her young child at the time. It doesn’t make any logical sense but if the person isn’t upset, I wouldn’t worry about it. If they are upset, I’d seek to get them help, maybe medication, that soothes agitation. People with dementias are in another world inside their own minds; it’s not based on anything that’s really happening, ghosts or otherwise.

ADVERTISEMENT


JoAnn29 Apr 2021
My Mom was not on any meds for Dementia and she continually saw a little girl. I could hear her talking to her over the monitor and she must have been ornery. Mom would tell her to stop or she would have to tell on her. When I showed up the girl "must have left". Her neurologist said if seeing the girl didn't upset her, then not to worry about it.

But I would have worried if she saw bloody children. This I feel should be reported to your DON because it upsets the person. There is medication for this. I wonder if the same person suffers from night terrors. Meds for that too.

ronaldkratz Apr 2021
yes! Mom saw a little girl and would say shhhhhh As IF GIRL WAS SLEEPING, i think it was the meds causing hallucinations, once meds were discontinued visions stopped. My cuz says it was an Angel. Also saw a man which frightened her a bit, I had dreams in hospital of twin toddlers, they call them Morphine dreams. Mom spoke of baby too,. When you think of child rearing for decades every day it becomes commonplace encrusted in the brains memory banks imo, tcxoxo

vegaslady Apr 2021
I find it disturbing that the caretakers don't understand hallucinations and are care providers. To come up with a theory about the place being haunted just sounds ignorant and would certainly make me question the quality of care being provided there.

sjplegacy Apr 2021
For dementia residents to “see” kids and animals, or hear voices, or chat with dead relatives is very common with people with AD and even moreso with LBD, and sundowning can aggravate these perceptions. I don't know the scientific answer to why this occurs other than to say the disease has affected that part of the brain that causes these hallucinations. Why one person sees puppies and another sees something gory, I don't know, unless it reflects something in their past. It's great that your redirecting them seems to address the problem. Most hallucinations are harmless but can be of major concern especially if they cause the person to behave dangerously or cause terror. Some clinical intervention may be needed if that occurs. Typically, the caregiver's response should be one of validation (oh, those kids are visiting for the day) rather than trying to correct the person's perception ( there are no kids here, that's just your imagination). If it's something upsetting to the individual, say that you'll take care of it (the exterminator is coming to take care of it). I find it interesting that the staff seems to think the place is haunted.

gladimhere Apr 2021
My mom often was worried about her children. Where are they, have they been kidnapped or run away, been in an accident. any number of things. It was part of her sundowning.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ask a Question

Subscribe to
Our Newsletter