Delusions, hallucinations or dreams?

Hope5757

MIL has had some relatively minor episodes of hallucination type incidents. Some were auditory (Do you hear the vacuum cleaner?). Some were visual (There were butterflies all over the wall.) And some felt more like confusion. (Yelling “hello, hello” because she thought someone was knocking at the door).

But last night was an entirely different type of incident. About an hour after she’d gone to bed, I heard her yelling for her long deceased sister. I jumped out of bed and MIL was at the bottom of the steps yelling for her sister. MIL is in the master bedroom downstairs. As all other bedrooms are upstairs, she’s alone on the first floor overnight.

MIL asked me if (dead sister) was upstairs. I told her no and suggested she go back to bed. MIL said no. She needed to find her sister. She then said sister was in the kitchen because all the lights were on in the kitchen. (No lights were on). 

I told her if she went to bed that I would find the sister and bring her into the bedroom. Once I told her that, I was able to get her back to bed. 

By then DH was downstairs. And he was able to sit with her and calm her down. We slept downstairs in case she tried to leave. 

A few days ago, she said she’s seen her deceased husband in the living room.

I ordered some door alarms so we could hear her if she came out of the bedroom overnight.

Are these delusions, hallucinations or just confused dreams? Is wandering next?

I plan to call her doctor to see if I need to get her in for a UTI test.

M1

Could be many things. Is she on donepezil or memantine? Both can cause very vivid dreams and may need to be discontinued, or the time of administration changed.

Hope5757

Thanks M1. No donepezil or memantine.

M1

Helpful to know. She might benefit from other medication to tamp these down? Probably worth asking her docs....

Hope5757

Thanks! She’s had quiet nights since so I’m hoping this is an aberration (for now), but yes - I’m going to let her doctor know.

LisaLH

My step father's brain sees things that are something else or not there. For instance, he thought a picture on the wall that had glass frame was a TV. He saw a blue bag out the window and said it was a rabbit. Other times someone may of been around him but were gone and he thinks they are still there. I can't decide what all this is either. I hope you find an answer.

Hope5757

I’m pretty sure my MIL is unable to distinguish between dreams and reality. Apparently this is called “Oneirophrenia” and describes a state where a person becomes confused about the distinction between reality and dream.

As she dozes more often now, it seems to be happening more frequently. She’ll wake up and say something today out of the blue. It takes a little while to convince her she was dreaming.

@LisaLH - MIL does do some of the things your step father does. These seem more like true hallucinations. For example, she’ll say that she sees her deceased husband standing in the corner.

psg712

Several years ago, before any of the family realized that she had dementia, my mom told us that she was having vivid dreams. This was unusual for her. She previously had never remembered any dreams after waking. When the vivid dreams started, she mentioned several times that she couldn't tell after waking if they were dreams or real events. This confusion bothered her. Looking back, I think it was one of the early manifestations of Alzheimers for her.

scoutmom405

My FIL started hallucinations & delusions this past December. Woke us at 3am telling us my (deceased)MIL was in his room. When we entered the room he asked "Where'd she go?" Started yelling her name & searching everywhere for her.

Next day he told me his (deceased)brother slept under his bed the night before. He was for sure his brother left by going out his bedroom window.

Recently he woke us up warning the battleship was flooding. He was afraid to physically step in his room because it was flooded.

He woke up in a loop a few weeks back, searching for his "lessons " basically thinking his teacher assigned homework & someone has taken his lessons. He described a 3rd gr reading assignment. I had a teacher friend give me "lessons " put them in a folder & tucked them on the counter. He was so happy to find his lessons.

Most of the time I just go with the delusion or agree with his hallucinations. I told him MIL had to go check on their grandson & would be back. I told him his brother didn't go out the window, he went out the front door, he was late for work. FIL seemed to settle down & believed it.

He was diagnosed with vascular dementia & Alzheimers July 2022.

Progression came fast from December 2023.

Definitely speak to his Dr about these concerns.