My mother is 80, looks and acts fine outside, but inside is having nightime hallucinations, is agitated, negative, and never relaxes! Any advice?

We really can not evaluate or diagnose your mother over the Internet even if we were a Geriatric Psychiatric. However, very often tendencies and traits that our loved ones exhibited before the onset of dementia are magnified as they suffer from it. My mother’s paranoia got worse about 3 years before she was evaluated and diagnosed with dementia.

Hallucinations are one of the first signs of dementia. A person can seem fine one minute and not fine the next. So is constant movement. But, it could also be a urinary tract infection. If you have concerns about her behaviors, call her doctor. If it is dementia, you will have decisions to make at some point and the earlier you plan the better. Also, if you don’t a,ready have durable power of attorney, get it now.

Michelle, we have recently discovered that there are physicians who make home visits. We use an agency called “Visiting Physicians”. Impress upon Mom that it’s either one or the other. You can even use the old “if you don’t go they’ll cancel your insurance.” excuse. Then promise her a nice lunch out at her favorite restaurant after the exam as a bribe. Sometimes, when they’re like this, you need to treat them like children.

If she's really suffering with mental distress, there may be other things in the home that she is not able to handle, like food prep, medication, personal hygiene. Is there a way to check on these things? Also, delusions and hallucinations may cause a person to harm themselves due to their irrational fears. If she's in need, but, resistant, I'd consult with an Elder Law attorney about the options.