My mother with dementia is having terrible nightmares. Any advice?

I spent 25 years of my life having horrible nightmares and it's really a very bad experience; impossible to explain to someone who hasn't had them. My daughter had 'night terrors' as a child, and they were no fun either. Nobody was able to help either of us because doctors tend to shrug 'dreams' off entirely. When dementia is present, however, there may indeed be a medication that can be prescribed to help your poor parents with this terrible issue. It's very hard for your dad to have to deal with this also, as I'm sure you can imagine.

Definitely give the doctor a call asap & see what s/he has to say

GOOD LUCK!

Medication can cause nightmares sometimes.

Yes, of course you need to notify their doctor(s).

This may sound a little far-ferched, but I have seen it work, at least temporarily, in two separate cases. My husband and I regularly support a school for American Indian children. Every now and then we receive little gifts in thanks. Years ago, my young niece was suffering from night terrors. My sister was beside herself consulting with pediatricians to try to help her daughter. We had received a dream catcher from the kids at the school we support and I sent it to my niece and my sister hung it in her room. For awhile, maybe by power of suggestion, the night terrors stopped. Unfortunately it wasn’t a permanent solution to her problems, but it did provide some relief for awhile. A few months ago, my husband, who suffers from LBD, began having nightmares that continued after he awoke. I hung a dream catcher above his bed. He still dreams, but they are not nightmares and they end when he wakes up. The legend of the dream catcher says bad dreams are caught in the web of the dream catcher while good dreams come through the center hole. Being caretaker for a person with LBD has taught me to try any suggested solution that won’t cause harm to my husband. This one, so far, has worked. Maybe it’ll work for you.

Please have a telephone chat with her doctor. Some medications are associated with night terrors. You mom may also have had some terrifying experiences in her life that she is "reliving" as she remembers them vividly in her dreams. Is so, talking to a geriatric psychologist may be warranted.

Of course, call a doctor and have her medically checked out and then find some medications that can help. That is what they are there for. You can't allow this to keep happening as it will soon kill you. She needs help.

My mom's nightmares would get worse when she had an infection. I would have her checked out for a urinary tract infection as those are a very common cause of behavioral changes in the elderly. If this is an infection, an antibiotic is easily prescribed to wipe it out. Hope the nightmares stop.

My husband is susceptible to TV stories. I have to be careful not to expose him to any dramatic situations. He Used to have day-mares. His psychiatrist prescribed a medication called prasosin. It was discovered at VA hospitals that this medication intended for blood pressure also seemed to stop nightmares. It worked for my husband. I only gave it to him when he would tell me he was afraid. He hasn’t needed it for a long time.

These are called night terrors. My Mom would scream and she was still sleeping. I would wake her up and tell her to open up her eyes. Would tell her its just a bad dream go back to sleep. I am a dreamer. I find when I wake up and open my eyes the dream goes away. I don't remember it.

If your Mom is under the care of a neurologist, call him and tell him about the nightmares. He should be able to prescribe a med for her.

My mother sometimes had uncontrollable panic attacks after she had stopped talking. As much as I hated it, we had to use Xanax, and it worked, but we typically had to let her sleep it off the day after she had to take it.

Has she started taking any new meds recently?

Consider having her tested for a UTI as they can wreak havoc with a senior.

Yes, I would call the doctor to report this, especially since there was a fall.