Grandmother sees imaginary people in her home - Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia Message Board

worriedjune · 09-07-2006, 05:11 PM

Hi,
I'm hoping someone can offer up some suggestions on my 93 year old grandmother's condition. She sees people in her home who aren't there. These people are everywhere, in all the rooms of her house, outside on the lawn and even in her bed. They are trouble makers who have taken up residence in her home without her permission, they tip over her car, put their dirty feet on her clean counters and women sit on my grandfather's lap and kiss him.

These visions have gone on for four years and seem to be getting worse. My grandfather and aunt take care of my grandmother but I fear they are all at the end of their ropes. My grandmother is miserable because nobody can see these people, nobody can make them go away and she doesn’t seem to have the will or the belief that she can make them go away herself. Unfortunately my grandmother takes her frustrations out on her family members and swings from incredible anger with them to incredible depression with her situation.

The doctors shrug off her difficulties and chalk them up to Dementia but my Aunt doesn’t seem to think her symptoms fit with the disease. My question is has anyone ever experienced an elderly person hallucinating that there are people in their homes? And if so, do you have any idea where I could find more information on her problem or is there a specific doctor anyone could recommend?

Please help. Thanks.

Martha H · 09-07-2006, 05:44 PM

Yes, June, my mother went through a stage when she saw and spoke to people who had died years before. She insisted they had been there and told me in great detail what they had said. At first I said, 'no that's impossible. Aunt S died in 1956.' NOT SO - she was HERE, just now!

Later she started to speak to a 'monkey' in a tree in my brother's back yard in Farmingdale NY. Needless to say that is not a climate where monkeys can live outdoors. But she spoke to it every day and it 'answered' her.

Mom has Old Age Dementia. It is not unusual at all for these people to hallucinate. Often it is a traumatic and fear inducing experience, imagining robbers in the house, or someone trying to shoot them. It is hard for the caregiver. My Mom is now in a nursing home. She is in about stage 6 now, and will be 98 next month ... She believes she is in a hotel and all the other residents are her oldest friends, and she is quite happy..

Love

Martha

janeslk · 09-07-2006, 06:15 PM

Is she on any sort of medications that could be causing problems? My DIL's grandmother, who is in her 90's, went through a strange stage a few years ago and started taking her clothes off in her front yard as well as some other bizarre behavior. She was taking too strong a dose of some type of medication that caused her problems. When the medication was stopped, the behavior stopped as well.

Jane

Midget · 09-07-2006, 09:27 PM

As others have said, this could be a side effect of some medications, but this could also possibly be part of "normal" dementia behavior. My grandma is often convinced she saw her sister, brother, etc--who are dead or not living near here. After trying to correct her a few times, and seeing this caused nothing but anger for both of us, I just begin to talk with her about these people. Perhaps you could tell your grandma you will tell these people to leave, or you will clean up the mess they made, or something else to make her not so upset. But don't tell her they are there!

Lady Ann · 11-20-2006, 07:35 PM

My husband was diagnosised with Alzheimer's Disease in the spring 2006, he began seeing people this summer and the Neurologist immediately put him on meds at night. Immediately the visions of people went away and he slept very sound til this fall when they began again so Dr. Anderson up'ed the meds. It's a very low dosage and he assured me doubling it wouldn't have any side affects and it hasn't. He continues to sleep well at night without further visions of people in the room. It's been a nite problem ~ never during the day. The medicine is seroquel (I think that is the spelling!) It's really helped him 100%. He also takes Aricept. Hope this helps!