Why is my elderly mother seeing bugs?

My mother-in-law did that for awhile while she was still living at home alone. Turned out to be the viscus of her eyes floating past her field of vision. Have her eyes checked before you think she's gone nuts.

That could be a sign of dementia, a medication reaction, or a mental illness, including drug (prescription or not) withdrawal, or alcohol withdrawal. Please have this person seen by a doctor.
Carol

My Mom is having a simiiar problem and swears they are stinging her at night. It is really bothering her. Her apartment at this wonderful independent facility has been exterminated twice and bug traps have been set to help her feel the problem is being addressed. She still sees and thinks bugs are stinging her. She has been prescribed resperidone but I am afraid that this drug has too many dangerous side affects for her health. If you find a way for treatment of this early stage in dementia, I would appreciate an answer as well.

my wife sneezed hard today and now sees a "bug" on the right side of her right eye; it doesn't sting and she has no feeling from it but it's driving her crazy;
what happened here?

Yes! establish that it is not a medical issue with matter in the eyes first!

I can only tell you what I did for my mom when she experienced this symptom of Dementia.
Mom would see bugs and I would come into her room with a Texas flyswatter (HUGE joke flyswatter) and smack it all around and really put on a show. All the while I was smacking the flyswatter around I was telling the bugs that they broke into the wrong house and if they thought they were going to hurt my mother, blah blah blah, I think you get the picture.
It was total Playhouse 90 but it worked!
Everybody's Dementia is different and what worked for me and my mom may not work for someone else.
I did a LOT of playacting for mom when she saw bugs, people in the closets (used a ball bat for that one) and the theme was always: you're safe and sound and nothing is going to hurt you. Took a lot of energy but it was worth it. Mom is gone now and I would gladly wave that flyswatter around again if I could see her but for a moment.
lovbob

My mother is sure her house is infested with lice. No amount of telling her that lice do not have those habits will help. We have replaced carpet and furniture, hired exterminators, and cleaning crews. Her home is spotless, but she spends every waking hour cleaning or spraying because the bug man told her he did not treat for lice. No one else has seen a single bug, but she believes she has bites. What can we do? She is in good health, and the doctor thinks she is charming.

She is healthy and charming and ... out of touch with reality, in at least one respect. Does she have any other personality changes or odd behavior that concerns you?

I guess cleaning isn't dangerous, but what is she spraying? If she has some kind of bug spray that she applies excessively, that could be harmful.

What if you "found" an exterminator who did handle lice? And the treatment required that no persons or pets be in the house for 36 hours, all plants must be covered by light drop clothes, and all food be stored behind closed cupboard doors? She would have to stay with you for a night or two, or check into a motel, or stay with a friend. Do you think by the time she got back to her house she would be satisfied that the problem was solved?

Dad sees..roaches on the ceiling and walls on occasion...thinking it is his cataracts.....

I'm in the same boat. My dad sees bugs also. The white ones are the queens and the black ones produce a silk that goes all over the house. He tries to reach for the silk but it disappears. I liked it better when he saw ghosts in the closet. They were easier for me to handle. He starts to eat food, sees big bugs in the food, then wants it thrown away. He gets very upset that people say they can't see them. Last night, the bugs were devouring his bed so he wouldn't sleep in it. Today he went for a field of vision test, and last week the opthamologist which he was told the bugs are his imagination. I used to play along, but he started spraying Gold Bond foot powder all over the house. He went through five cans in two days. Finally, I had to remove the Gold Bond.

my mom and I were riding in my car one day and she asked "what are you going to do with all these snakes?" LOL so it could be worse I suppose.

If these folks have AMD, at a certain stage they may be experiencing "Charles Bonnet syndrome". Usually after loss of sight. Check it out. Ren