My mother has become paranoid and is living in fear. She is convinced that someone is breaking into her home to make her think she is crazy such as rebuffing her floors, putting pictures on the wall, taking food from frig. She won't go to the Md. When she shows this to her children and we realize that no one is breaking in, she gets upset and says we don't believe her. We don't know what to do.
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You need to get her evaluated by a MD - the best would be to have a gerontologist do this as they will be able to pinpoint what type of dementia she has. Treatment can be quite different for Alz vs Lewy Body Dementia vs. vascular dementia. My experience is that going to see a family practice MD or internist is a waste of time and may actually increase her paranoia with more medications being given. This is what happened with my mom. Her gerontology practice has been a godsend as it is a totally different viewpoint of medical care.
There are 2 tests commonly done to see where she is on dementia spectrum:
- Folstein /Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) 30 point test. Takes about 10–30 min & looks at math, memory & orientation. Is copyrighted, so not given as much.
- The Mini-Cog: a 3 part test: 1) name 3 objects then repeat back, could do this 2 – 3 times; 2. draw a clock then 3) repeat the words from earlier. This should take 3 – 5 minutes. What this checks is recall of new information, orientation to time and date, and clock drawing into a single score that can accurately determine if someone has cognitive impairment and its severity. Most gerontlogists do the MiniCog every 3 mos.
Having a baseline Folstein/MMSE or MiniCog's done & repeated is really helpful to be realistic about what careplan to take. Same with scan on brain shrinkage & what part of the brain, which most gerontolgists or neurologists will order.
On retrospect my mom had dementia related paranoia, issues with language and difficulty with familiar tasks since 2005. To this very day on a good day, she appears lucid, knows who people are, can carry on conversations, can get dressed and potty on her own most of the time, she is totally ambulatory with just a free standing cane or wheeled walker. She’s in her 90’s too. But if you talk with her past the 2 – 3 minute conversation most people do with the elderly, it is totally scary……animals who appear in the corner, gypsy children who live in the building, amputee roommate stole her TV, poison in the rice....all real to her.
With my mom, who probably has Lewy Body Dementia, people stealing or coming onto her property and misplacing things was/is a big issue. When she was living at her home, she was sure that the mailman, garbageman were going into the house and taking things. When she was in IL, she would hide stuff in flashlights, then go into a fury that she had been robbed and would call the police and file reports. Her paranoia got to the point where she called a nephew to take her to the bank so she could withdraw all her money as “they were trying to become her”. She would cut off the tops of empty Kleenex boxes and nest them within each other BUT she would hide “important” stuff within the layers. Then when she couldn’t find the $, travelers checks or family picture, she would call the police. When she went to lunch or an activity, “they” would go to her apt (when she was in IL) or to her room (at the LTC she is in now) and would use it as an office or hold meetings there because her room has the “special light”.
Mom totally believes this is happening. There is no way to convince her that it is a “false belief”. This is so common. How to deal with it really needs to be what works best for you. They aren’t going to change their incorrect perception.
My mom is on Exelon, Remeron & a vertigo Rx & in a LTC facility. I can tell a real positive difference w/Exelon as her fear is more even and not as threatening.
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How long has your mother had dementia? Have you been given a more specific diagnosis, such as Alzheimer's or Vascular or Lewy Bodies? Is she seeing a specialist for this disorder?