Elder Care Norwood MA
As the Alzheimer’s disease in an elder progresses, one common symptom is hallucinations. They may start seeing, hearing, smelling, or tasting things that are not there. Some of these hallucinations may just be images of ordinary people, while others could be frightening. Your aging parent will need to be cared for by an elder care provider in order to keep them safe while their Alzheimer’s disease progresses.
The reason your loved one may start receiving hallucinations is the result of changes in the brain that are caused by Alzheimer’s disease. In order to help your loved one overcome these sometimes terrifying and imaginary images, it is important they know how to cope.
Coping Strategies when Dealing with Hallucinations
When your loved one is in the middle of a hallucination, it is important you handle them gently and carefully.
Here are just a few ways to help them with this situation.
Be cautious. Before you can help the elder, make sure the situation will not be a problem for you or them. Find out if their hallucination is upsetting, as well as if it would cause them to do something dangerous to themselves or someone else. If they may be dangerous, intervene as quickly as possible with reassuring words and a gentle touch.
Distract them. Change the subject, walk into a different room, or suggest that you both do a different activity in order to distract the senior from their current hallucination. If you decide to go for a walk, make sure it is in a well-lit area because hallucinations will usually dwindle down in these brightly lit areas.
Make changes to their environment. Are there any noises in the room that could be misconstrued as part of this hallucination? If so, you may want to think about eliminating noises from the TV, radio, phone, or anything else that may cause noises.
Acknowledge their feelings. You may know the hallucinations were not real, but they felt entirely realistic to the elder. Telling them that it did not happen may cause them to become angry or irritable. Acknowledge their feelings with statements like, “I understand how worried you must feel.”
Hallucinations can feel all too real for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease. It is important that you approach your loved one with caution since they could become dangerous. Use these tips and talk to your loved one’s doctor to get more ideas on how to help the elder’s hallucinations subside safely and quickly.
Source: https://www.alz.org/care/alzheimers-dementia-hallucinations.asp
If you or an aging loved one are considering Elder Care Services in Norwood MA, or anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts, please call the caring staff at CARE Resolutions – (508) 906-5572.
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