How to Cope With Your Emotions When Your Loved One Has Hallucinations

A hallucination occurs when a person sees, hears, feels, tastes, or smells something that isn ’t there.by Marie MarleyAlzheimer's Reading Room“Marie,” my life partner, Ed, shouted by phone from his memory care facility.“I was beaten by six aides today.”I gasped as though someone had just hit me in the solar plexus.He continued, his voice breaking,“They beat me and kicked me repeatedly.”How to Adapt the Caregiver Brain to Alzheimer's and DementiaIn a moment of sheer terror, I wondered if maybe someone had hit him. TV news stories of nursing home abuse flashed before my eyes and I felt nauseous.Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading - This is a Free Service - Join NowI struggled to breathe. While one aide could hit a resident in a closed-door room, six could never hide their actions.I was still shaking and dizzy as I realized Ed had experienced a frightening hallucination.I was devastated becauseEd was suffering emotionally as much as if he had been beaten. His story haunted me for days, but when I visited the next day, he had forgotten all about it.A hallucination is when a person sees, hears, feels, tastes, or smells something that isn ’t there. It ’s different from a delusion, which is when someone has a strongly held, but inaccurate, belief that no amount of persuading or arguing can shake.I couldn ’t find any article discussing how caregivers can cope emotionally when their loved ones have hallucinations.Two articles about hallucinations have been pu...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - Category: Neurology Tags: alzheimers care alzheimers connect care of dementia patients coping with alzheimers dementia care emotion hallucinations Source Type: blogs