If you are caring for your elderly loved one, it is important to know that as they get older, their mind will do various things. Some elderly adults do have hallucinations. Depending on your elderly loved one’s situation, they may even think their hallucinations are reality. This can be scary for them. It is helpful to learn all that you can about their hallucinations – the causes of them and what to do about them, as well.
Recognizing Hallucinations in the Elderly
It is important to know that hallucinations aren’t just seeing something that isn’t there. As someone gets older, their senses aren’t as active. This means the part of their brain that is responsible for controlling the senses could be in hyperactive mode due to the loss of stimulation. For this reason, your elderly loved one could have hallucinations that involve any 1 or more of their senses.
It could be difficult to determine if your elderly loved one is having a hallucination. Most of the time, someone would see, smell, or hear something that isn’t there. Then, you would know they are hallucinating. If you notice that your elderly loved one’s behavior has changed in an instant, this could mean they are having a hallucination. You might notice they instantly become anxious, irritable, or violent. They might seem very confused about where they are and what is going on.
Hallucination Causes in Elderly People
There are different causes for hallucinations in elderly people. Some of these include the following:
- Hearing or vision loss – Your elderly loved one’s brain will be in a hyperactive state is they have moderate to severe hearing or vision loss.
- Psychiatric or mental health disorders – If your elderly loved one has bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, an anxiety disorder, or any other mental health illness this could be causing them to have hallucinations.
- Alzheimer’s disease or dementia – If your elderly loved one has either of these conditions, this could cause hallucinations, as well. If they don’t yet have a diagnosis, it is important to know that hallucinations are often symptoms of these conditions.
- Insomnia – If your elderly loved one isn’t sleeping enough, this could lead them to have hallucinations.
- Medications – There are some medications that can cause people to have hallucinations.
These are just some of the things that could cause your elderly loved one to have hallucinations. If you do find out that your elderly loved one is dealing with hallucinations, there are some things that should be done.
Things to Do if an Elderly Person is Having Hallucinations
If you think or know that your elderly loved one is having hallucinations, it is important to call their doctor right away. Their doctor will need to order tests, so they can find out what is going on with your loved one. If you can’t get them to their appointment, you can have an elderly care provider take them.
Hallucinations can be scary for anyone. If your elderly loved one is having hallucinations, be sure they get in to see their doctor as soon as possible.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Senior Care in Laurens, SC, contact Heart of the Carolinas Home Care at 864-991-3116. Providing Home Care Services in Greenville, Simpsonville, Greer, Anderson, Spartanburg, Mauldin, Seneca, Laurens, Charleston, Columbia and the surrounding areas.
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5500657/
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