MY mother who has dementia for last 7 years has started having conversations with people whom aren't there. She insists that I acknowledge whomever she talks too even wanting me to give them tea, coffee, or etc. Question, do I go along with this scene or let her know no one is there. My sister & I are her caregivers. And she is never alone. What's the best solution? She has even tried to give us invisible money that she gets from her pretend boyfriend.
When she gives you invisible money, just thank Mom, telling her how sweet of her to do that.
Ah, she has a pretend boyfriend, actually that is so sweet. I realize this seems totally off the wall, but that is now your Mom's reality.
As long as Mom isn’t upset by these episodes, let her engage in them.
I didn't reinforce my dad's delusions by agreeing with him or participating in them like we would with a small child playing pretend but I made sure my dad stayed calm and felt safe with lots of love, respect, and reassurance.
Sometimes delusions are the result of medications. My Mom started having conversations with people who were not there when the doctor gave her a stronger pain medication. Once the pain medication was stopped, then Mom stopped see people and having conversations with them. (This is completely separate from the other delusions that my Mom was experiencing at the time.) So if your Mom started seeing other people and talking to them AFTER she began taking a new medication or after a medication dosage was increased or decreased, then I think that you need to contact the doctor and let him/her know what is happening.
As long as I knew there was nothing I could do to resolve the hallucinations (like get a urine sample to see if she had a UTI), then I'd make a great show of throwing that man standing the kitchen without her permission out of her house, slamming the door behind him, and locking it. Mom would nod her and say she felt better with him gone. Then there were chickens loose in the house...so I'd gather them up and put them in the coop. Mom would carry on conversations in the night, but I just let her have her conversation...especially the time she chewed someone out for screwing up. No way was I going to interfere!
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