We recently found out mom has heart issues, and she refuses to take meds. She is now hallucinating, what do we do?

jRoberts
Almost anything can make the dementia worse. The brain is part of the body and whatever affects one part of the body naturally affects all other parts and could accelerate her dementia.
My MIL was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Based on definitions I had read about Alzheimer's, I never believed she had it but she for sure had dementia. Shortly afterwards she had blood work that indicated she had cancer. She didn't get the results for almost a year...long story. By the time she knew she had cancer it had progressed as well as her diabetes was out of control. She died from the cancer fairly soon. I often thought the dementia softened the cancer diagnosis.She had what many considered hallucinations the last few days of her life (on pain meds) but she was lucky as her "visions" gave her comfort. I hope you are able to find a way to treat your moms anger. Its a tough time for your family right now. i'm sure your mom is afraid with the dementia and now the heart pain. It can be hard for any of us to come to grips with really bad news, your mom being no exception. You've been given some good advice to become educated on dementia. This will help not only you and your mom but your extended family as well. 

Yes she was diagnosed with Dementia two years now ... we also have the heart issue now .. she has not had a UTI in some time now . They check her for a UTI each Dr. Visit ... She started having chest pain hold her chest and making noise . We knew she was having heart pain and it was .Her small artery is not pumping the blood threw properly of course being 82 the Dr. put her on heart meds ... she has changed drastically in the last three or four weeks .. I honestly think between the dementia and the Heart issue has made her Dementia worse.

Your mom's anger, hallucinations, and paranoia all sound like classic symptoms of dementia but it could be someone as simple as a UTI. Has she been to the Dr. for her symptoms? A possible UTI would be a great excuse to get her to the Dr. When I would take my dad to the Dr. and I wanted the Dr. to know something that I didn't want to discuss in front of my dad I'd type and print a paragraph or so and ask the receptionist when we arrived to please give it to the Dr. This worked out very well for us.

Are you wondering if she has dementia? Hallucinations and Paranoia are extremely common in dementia, but they can be caused by other things as well. The change in her personality is troubling, too. She -- and all of you -- would benefit from a thorough medical examination, with the doctor knowing of these recent changes. It is often difficult to convey that to a doctor during a visit. Emailing, messaging on MyChart (if the clinic uses that), or sending a letter ahead of the visit will help the doctor know what to focus on.

It would probably be a really good idea for the family to start becoming educated about dementia now. Even if this turns out to have another cause, it will be helpful to read about ways to deal with paranoia, hallucinations, ect.

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