The first time that your loved one experiences hallucinations or delusions can really throw you for a loop as her caregiver. How you respond can make all the difference in keeping her calm.
Keep Track of When They’re Happening
One of the best tools that you can use when your loved one is experiencing hallucinations or delusions is to track when they’re happening and what else is going on. Your loved one might be experiencing these issues as a side effect of medications or as a side effect of an illness, among other reasons. Having a bit of data about when they’re occurring can assist your loved one’s doctor in diagnosing the issue.
Pay Attention to What Your Loved One Is Watching or Reading
Some elderly loved one’s have a tough time differentiating between fictional situations and real situations. This can make them more prone to delusions and hallucinations. One way you can manage this for your loved one is to be aware of what she’s watching or reading. Then, if something disturbing is going on, you can help your loved one move on to something else.
Avoid Arguing with Your Loved One
If your loved one is experiencing a delusion or a hallucination, arguing with her about what reality actually is could make the situation much worse. While it can be disturbing to agree with your loved one when she’s hallucinating, you don’t want to make the situation worse by telling her that she’s wrong.
Distraction Can Be Your Friend
When your loved one is hallucinating, try to use distraction to your advantage. Introduce a new activity or change the subject. If a television program or a movie resulted in a delusion, change the channel or put in a completely different movie. Moving your loved one on to another topic can be the exact tool that you need.
Talk to Your Loved One’s Doctor
Make sure that you let your loved one’s doctor know that she’s experiencing hallucinations or delusions. He can perform some testing to determine exactly why this is happening for your loved one so that you can come up with a solution that works for you both.
Let home care providers know if your loved one is prone to hallucinations or delusions so that they’re prepared to help your loved one as much as possible.
When you are in need of care for a senior loved one, consider home care provided by Golden Heart Senior Care. We have offices nationwide. For more information, call us today at (800) 601-2792.
