What caused my Dad to start hallucinating all of the sudden?

I missed the early part of this thread, but I'm so glad you and your Dad are doing better. That had to be a difficult time for you.

So glad to hear your Dad's feeling better. I'm sure you're so relieved...

That's wonderful news! Thank you for getting back to us. Hope you enjoy some smooth sailing now, but if the seas get rough again remember we're here for you. Stay in touch!

Well we are on day two of being home from hospital and my dad is doing a lot better. He's almost back to his old self. I quess it was hospital psychosis. Home health came out today and everything seemed good. Thanks for all your responses. Have a bless day.

I don't want to rule anything out, such as infections. However, just to mention what others have said, this is actually yet another issue with dementia. You just have to know that it's going to happen.

My mother's dementia is quite mild and she does seem to hallucinate, I think. Sometimes, I think it's caused by other things, such as family drama which stresses her, but I'm not certain. But also, many people in this forum will say that being in the hospital is quite traumatic and brings these kinds of things out, even more.

What I'm saying is this: don't rule out infections and such but if you don't find anything, just keep in-mind that this does happen and could happen, again. Just be on the watch for it as it can cause him to wander off or do things that could be destructive/harmful.

i think at a point the primary carer has to guide the patient thru the haze theyre living in. i was at ednas the other day and she asked me what are we supposed to do? i was being asked to think for her as she was unable to reason on her own. ill believe that dementia care is 99% emotional care until i learn differently. the pri carer needs to nap when the patient naps because they need your company and guidance during all their awake hours.. being alone scares them.
dont dispute the hallucinations, just downplay them as harmless as much as possible. my mom told me once the bike shed was on fire. i told her ike and the short bus were both sitting in the front yard safe so let it burn.. it helps to be a little nuts yourself for this task..

The type of dementia usually associated with Parkinson's is Lewy Body. (Other kinds of dementia can be present, also, but those two are both Alpha-synculein disorders.)

Visual hallucinations are one of the core symptoms of Dementia with Lewy Bodies. The hallucinations tend to occur early in the dementia. So, this may be part of the dementia package, as vava51 says.

Hallucinations are also common in urinary tract infections in elders. Testing for this should be done, in my opinion.

I spent a few days in ICU and hallucinated and had neither dementia nor a uti.

If this persists beyond his hospital stay it should definitely be discussed with the doctor who is treating his Parkinson's.

For good information about Parkinson's Disease with Dementia (PDD) visit the Lewy Body Dementia Associaion's web site, LBDA.org

If you wouldn't mind coming back and updating us on how this all plays out for you, we can all learn from your experience.

I just re-read your post and realized it's your dad, not your husband...I'm sorry for the mix up. Not every antibiotic works on every kind of infection. Keep tabs on that burning sensation...if it persists let the nurses know. If it is just the infection causing them, then as soon as the infection clears the hallucinations will fade away too. If it's the dementia itself causing them, then talk with your dad's neurologist. There are medications that can help. The important thing is to make sure your dad isn't becoming agitated or upset by them.

There's also hospital psychosis, a very real condition that is the result of an elderly person being in an unfamiliar environment with too much stimulation. Hospitals operate 24/7 and while staff may be considerate enough to dim the lights at night there are still people in and out of the room around the clock. This can cause increased agitation, anxiety, and hallucinations.

They have be giving him antibiotic for the bronchitis and sinuses. He did complain a couple of times about it burning when he tinkles but the nurse said the antibiotics should take care of it. I'm just lost not sure if this can be fixed or is it a perm thing.

Hi asc1902... Unfortunately hallucinations can become part of the dementia "package". They can also be triggered by infection. Has the hospital staff checked your husband for a UTI?