my mum seems to be very confused all of a sudden and hallucinating.

[liddy9]

hello,
my mother suffers from depression and anxiety. lately she has been hallucinating. she had some episodes last summer during away at our summer place but we didnt do anything as they stopped when we returned home. Actually she took antidepressants, Seropram and Xanax. but we stopped them after six months.Also she has very poor eyesight. so its easy to confuse shapes and shadows. She does not hear voices. Now the images have come back. she was seeing fires and waking me up to leave the flat or seeing people in the house. Her psychiatrist prescribed her now with Respidral for the hallucinations which does help a lot and Bespar for anxiety, both in very mild doses. It been about a month that she takes them and they help. but still she talks to poeple who arent there or me even tho im in another room. She dreams at night and wakes up but is in a total dream world state of mind.  so she couldnt find the bathroom. and used the tub or the floor. also she suddenly bends a lot and walks in small steps. she never did that before. she dresses still and is ok in general but she does strange things and has very little energy. takes long to describe things sometimes they dont make sense and even she get tored to get her point across. she walked out of our flat in her underwear and the dog, said she left the door open cos she has trouble using the key so the door shut and she was left outside in the hall. she didnt go out of the building she thought better not. the neighbour helped as i was away for some hours. But now they think in the building she has alzheimers.
Last year we did a ct scan and there was nothing wrong apart form normal age depletion, could that have changed so fast towards dementia in one year? she also did blood tests a few weeks ago and they are all good. nothing there to worry about. but she is terribly absent minded specially as she gets tired throughout the day.
i am very worried about her and dont know if i should believe that this is dementia. i ask her if shes lost her mind and she says no. At first the doctor said it was depression with temporary psychotic effects. but now he told me it may well be the early satges of dementia. My mum was never a genius at following instructions they make her nervous, or anything to do with electrical appliances. shes quite cut off from practicalities as she is living in a foreign country from her native and chose not to learn the language very well. all this is due to personal experiences from withing her life. She is Australian but married a Greek and lives in Athens for over thirty years.
I dont know how to respond to all this. could it be something temporary? i hope so but maybe not.. any good advice anything that can help.
thank you

[liddy9]

my nickname is liddy, my real name is isabelle...  hehe, liddy is my dog. x

[liddy9]

hello, and thank you for getting back to me i really appreciate it. My mum is 72 years old, she has no diabeties nor a heart condition or anything else. I forgot to say that her husband, my dad died two and a half years ago. My mum lives in Greece but she is cut off and has no friends. he was her world as she doesnt speak the language other than to communicate at the shop and simple conversation. and i am an only child, (adult)35 years old. Her recent condition has turned my life upside down and it makes me very angry indeed as i am losing touch with my focus. I do service for her which begins in the morning and ends by force in the eveing when i must go to sleep. all day looking for something doing somehting for her and totaly neglecting my own life. So do you think a Gerondologist is more appropriate than a psychiatrist?
My most important question you could advise me is if you think Risperdal 2mg dose each evening is ok. whst do you think about htis drug? She takes it to reduce hallucinations and they have declined a lot. but i have read soem nasty info about it.  She also  takes Bespar 10mg, for anxiety. 2 pills morning and evening.
Thank you again,
isabelle

[Tuckamore]

Hi Liddy,

Welcome to the Senior Health Forum. I am so sorry to hear about your mom's condition. It it's absolutely tragic to watch our parents deterioration.... my heart goes out to you.

Anything could have happened since that last CT. I do encourage that you repeat a repeat CT, WITH contrast or an MRI. Your mom's symptoms sound like some form of Dementia, Alzheimer's is a form of Dementia.

In my opinion it's important that you know what is happening in order to treat it properly. Guessing is not the best way to approach her symptoms.  If she has not been evaluated by a Gerontologist I suggest you make an appt for a consult. They are the specialist in aging and the complications of it. They also are very knowledgeable about medications and how they interact and effect a seniors.system..... which is often different them a younger person. There are also mental health professionals that specialize in treating seniors so I would make sure that they are involved in your mum's care.

You did not share with us your mum's age. Yes it makes a difference if she is 65 or 90 not only in a diagnostic sense but in prognosis and treatment. Doe she have a heart condition, diabetes or other major medical condition(s) that could contribute to her symptoms?  

I look forward to hearing from you. You'll both be in my thoughts. Your mum is fortunate to have your love and concern. So many of our seniors do not have anyone... or at least anyone that is involved. It truly does make a difference in the care that they receive and the outcome.

Best of luck and please keep in touch.

Peace,
~Tuck