Whattodowithmom, may I suggest you have your Mom tested for an Urinary Tract Infection. Such an infection can mimic dementia and the variety of things related to dementia. The infection can be cleared with antibodies.
It worth checking out. If your Mom is tested positive, hopefully treatment can calm the paranoid.
Agree with alerting the police to her cognitive condition. It would help if you could provide a letter from her doctor regarding her diagnosis. Does she have her own cell phone? Maybe this access needs to be restricted as well...
Could you track down where she usually hides things, then clean out the cupboard so that the ‘stolen’ things are very obvious. Or perhaps leave what she will think is a good hiding place but you can check easily. Letting the police know is a good idea – they may even keep a record of ‘nuisance’ calls for her and her usual type of complaints (ie NOT that the house has caught fire, which is different and might be serious). Based on other posts, you can’t stop this, just try and make it easier to deal with.
Whattodo - My mother, too, had accused me and other people of taking her things. It was so frustrating and maddening because she was the one that hid those things and then couldn't find them. Then she went into a panic, and started to accuse me or someone else of taking her things. This phase lasted for almost a year. I hope it won't last that long for your mom.
If the cops don't know by now that your mother has Alz., I recommend you let them know, tell them that being paranoid and accusing people of stealing are part of her Alz. symptoms.
My mom also went through a phase of shoplifting. Yes, shoplifting. I took her along when I went shopping, and she would take little things, like a small bag of chip, or a chocolate bar, and stuffed them into her purse or pocket. One time, she took a fake diamond necklace from a department store. Another time, she took a sample perfume bottle. Ugh! I was always on edge as I tried to watch her every second we were in the store. Thankfully, that phase ended. But now, it's something else...
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It worth checking out. If your Mom is tested positive, hopefully treatment can calm the paranoid.
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If the cops don't know by now that your mother has Alz., I recommend you let them know, tell them that being paranoid and accusing people of stealing are part of her Alz. symptoms.
My mom also went through a phase of shoplifting. Yes, shoplifting. I took her along when I went shopping, and she would take little things, like a small bag of chip, or a chocolate bar, and stuffed them into her purse or pocket. One time, she took a fake diamond necklace from a department store. Another time, she took a sample perfume bottle. Ugh! I was always on edge as I tried to watch her every second we were in the store. Thankfully, that phase ended. But now, it's something else...