My dad (90) had a very bad fall a yr ago hitting his head, now he says there are people and animals in his living room. How to address this?

He's being checked tmrw also blood being taken wednesday to c if there are any other deficiencies Thx u

Perkins, has he been checked for a UTI?

Thank u

I'm so sorry to say this sounds exactly like my mom-in-law who had Lewy Body Dementia. For the most part she was calm about what she 'saw'. Once at dinner she saw a bear behind me and then under the table. Small children were always peeking at her in her mind. Sometimes it made her giggle at other times she would cry.

There's a lot info out there about LBD. Jeanne Gibbs on Aging Care has walked the journey with her husband that had LBD. I hope she will chime in.

Hugs to you and your folks.

My mom helps out. Her health is good but has short term memory. Between us we take care of dad. Hopefully next month the home health aides will be in place to take the burden off of her. Thx

Perkins, my Mom was fairly sharp for someone 98 until she fell and hit her head, too. Then she accelerated into late stage dementia. Similar to your Dad, she was mixing things up.

The person I really worry about is your Mother. That is a lot of burden for her to deal with, especially if she is a senior citizen herself. Please note that over 30% of caregivers pass on leaving their loved one behind [as Pam had noted above]. Terrible odds. Watch out for your Mom, if she is becoming burnt out, something needs to be done immediately for her own health and well being.

My dad knows he has an injured brain. He says he's forgetting words he's always used....he was a teacher, college supervisor.... He knows he's forgetting things. He knows he mixes up day and night. He is aware he has a problem.... Except he will not agree when I tell him it's from his injury. He is so sure sometimes it's real despite the dr, nurses and psychiatrist. I've used the " dad remember it's your brain playing tricks" sometimes he agrees sometimes not, like tonight

Does your dad understand at any level that his brain has been injured from his fall? If he does, could you work with him to let him know that it's just his injured brain playing tricks on him?

My mom has no short-term memory and I've told her it's from her medications. So when she can't remember, I just say, "Well, you know it's just from the medicines you take." So there's no judgment there, just a matter-of-fact statement of what's going on.

Would anything like that work with your dad? "Oh dad, it's just your brain trying to confuse you. Mom and I are here to make sure you're safe and OK and if there's anyone in the house, we'll let you know." There's also a fascinating thread on this site about someone with Lewy Body Dementia and FTD Dementia. He's named his dementias and when his brain starts acting up, he's able to recognize that and it calms him down. If your dad has any level of logical cognition, maybe you can build on that with him.

Nursing Home Transitions and Diversion will make every effort to keep him at home. The most important thing you can do is make sure mom is OK. Thirty percent of caregivers die before the patient does. Don't let that happen.

We have just been accepted into Medicaid and the NHTD who, once the schedule is set up, will be able to get home health aids for him for the nighttime which is his worse time

Dad saw a neuro after the fall. Had a ct scan. My dad no longer can leave the house. He has COPD, bad panic attacks....his PA makes house visits, the visiting nurses come 2x a week, all know of this problem. It was a TBI. We even have a dentist who comes to the house. Dad's feet and legs are very very swollen, no shoes, can't walk far won't leave bc he panics about running out of O2, finding a bathroom in time etc etc.. We even had a psychiatrist come in to talk to dad about what he sees. He thinks dad may have charles bonnett syndrome. He doesn't sleep well at night and spends most nights in his glider in the living room. Dr suggested many lights on to keep shadows at bay. He called tonight to say people were in the house ( I have a wireless camera there) there were no people except my mom. He said they hit him and he fell to the floor ( he didn't) what should he do, call the police? I said for him to open the back door and tell them to leave. The dr also told him to get up and try to touch them, if he can't then they aren't there. He got mad on the phone bc I couldn't give him he words he needed to hear!?? Don't know how to handle this so I don't make him feel crazy

He may have a traumatic brain injury. Pam's right; unless you've seen a doctor such as a neurologist for this injury, that's a top priority for tomorrow. If you can't get him to a doctor ASAP, go to the ER.

Get him to the MD. First thing in the morning. Do not ignore something this serious.