DH going through a rough time with delusions

suvi

My DH with Alzheimer’s has been very agitated and angry these past weeks about his father. He at first remembered that his father had passed away (24 years ago) but then seemed to repeatedly experience that realization and was obviously distraught and traumatized, and then believed he was still alive and his dad’s widow must have done something nefarious.That settled down, but tonight, a month later, he became distraught all over again, insisting he was going to the police and file a report, that he needed to find out where he lives. He wanted to walk to the station. I called the police non emergency line and the Alzheimer’s help line for advice, which was helpful. Tomorrow morning I’ll call his prescriber. He has had some changes in his medication which he could be reacting to. But he seems like he’s lost in his world. A few weeks ago he asked me where our daughter came from, and tonight he said he didn’t know where he came from. We have days of kind of normal things, and then this flares up. I don’t really know what I’m asking, just reaching out for any advice.

jgreen

So sorry you are going through this, @suvi I am in a somewhat similar situation. Here’s a quick back story and a couple of things I’ve done:

Husband thinks he has to report to work (retired in 2008). He talks to ‘people’ at all times of the day or night. Packs for a trip, tries to load the car (which I’ve locked), and is just restless and anxious!

Doctor recently increased his Depacote at night to 500 mg. (for the agitation) and added Seroquel 50 mg (for the hallucinations). I’ve even called one of my siblings to play a role and call my DH to tell him the ‘trip is covered’ or ‘we had someone on standby to take the trip’. The sibling then tells him what a great pilot he is and that they appreciate all he’s done for the company. You may want to see if one of your kids can portray a deputy or police officer and have them call to say they did a wellness check and everything is okay at his Dad’s house?

I also noticed DH was complaining about pain in one of his ears. Come to find out, he had a wax build up that was caused swelling. Once I started him on antibiotic ear drops the hallucinations decreased in number and intensity. You might have your DH checked for an infection (like UTI) if his behavior changes came on suddenly.

I hope one of these ideas might help, or give you a start on devising your own work-arounds. Somehow we need to meet them in their own reality and steer them to a place where they feel safe and comfortable. Best of luck!

suvi

Thank you for your response jgreen. It’s very helpful to know how someone else is dealing with this. I’m sorry you’re going through it too. I think I should try to be more creative, have a plan in case he escalates.I did pull out some photos which I was afraid might trigger him more, but it seemed to calm him some and help focus on happier memories. His doctor is tapering him off a medication so that is an uncertainty. They didn’t think they needed to see him, but I’ll keep in mind the physical pain possibility since they only did a phone screen and my dh doesn’t always answer reliably. I really appreciate your advice to meet our loved ones and steer them to a place of safety and comfort.

jgreen

Here is a key phrase to use if the behavior escalates and you want him to be seen and evaluated:

“My DH’s hallucinations/delusions have escalated and are way off from his normal baseline”

By emphasizing that this is not his usual behavior but something quite different and you are not able to manage, that should get their attention. You need to keep that in your ‘tool box’ and use it when you need it.

suvi

I appreciate that, thank you @jgreen