Have your GM tested for a UTI. Symptoms can be hallucinating and signs of dementia. Do the sightings disturb her? Agitate her? I see you have on your profile that she has dementia. Has she been diagnosed by a doctor? If so and she is on medication, please let her doctor know. She may need a med adjustment. She should see a neurologist and/or a geriatric psychiatrist.
Persons with dementia cannot safely live alone beyond the very earliest stage. Is it perhaps time to consider a different arrangement for Mom? Does she have some in-home help coming in now?
Do these hallucinations disturb her? If they don't there is not an urgent need to address them.
In my caregivers support group one wife reported that her husband (a minister with LBD) constantly saw young children in their home. He was only disturbed in that he thought they should look after them. When he'd say, "Aren't you going to set places for the children?" she would tell him, "I gave them snacks an hour ago. Their parents are going to pick them up soon and I don't want to spoil their dinners." She was operating under the advice not to argue about what they see. It worked for them!
Seeing people, especially children, is not unusual in dementia. Often it comes late in the dementia progress. In Lewy Body Dementia it is often a very early symptom. Telling her doctor about the hallucinations can be useful in diagnosing her further, even if there is nothing to be done about them.
Do you also live in Houston? How often do you see her?
BTW the tip to have her tested for a UTI is a good one. My aunt did not have dementia and the only time in her 100 years that she had delusions (she saw children) it turned out she had a UTI. Clear that up, and she was fine.
Do the sightings disturb her? Agitate her?
I see you have on your profile that she has dementia. Has she been diagnosed by a doctor?
If so and she is on medication, please let her doctor know. She may need a med adjustment.
She should see a neurologist and/or a geriatric psychiatrist.
Do these hallucinations disturb her? If they don't there is not an urgent need to address them.
In my caregivers support group one wife reported that her husband (a minister with LBD) constantly saw young children in their home. He was only disturbed in that he thought they should look after them. When he'd say, "Aren't you going to set places for the children?" she would tell him, "I gave them snacks an hour ago. Their parents are going to pick them up soon and I don't want to spoil their dinners." She was operating under the advice not to argue about what they see. It worked for them!
Seeing people, especially children, is not unusual in dementia. Often it comes late in the dementia progress. In Lewy Body Dementia it is often a very early symptom. Telling her doctor about the hallucinations can be useful in diagnosing her further, even if there is nothing to be done about them.
Do you also live in Houston? How often do you see her?
BTW the tip to have her tested for a UTI is a good one. My aunt did not have dementia and the only time in her 100 years that she had delusions (she saw children) it turned out she had a UTI. Clear that up, and she was fine.
Go see your Mom.
This requires boots on the ground.