Dementia hallucinations trigger one or more of the five senses to detect something that's not really there. This causes the sufferer to hear, see, feel, or smell something that doesn't exist. For example: Something touching or tickling the skin.
Visual hallucinations are usually caused by damage to the brain. They are more common in people with dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson's disease dementia. People with Alzheimer's disease can also have hallucinations.
When a person with Alzheimer's or other dementia hallucinates, he or she may see, hear, smell, taste or feel something that isn't there. Some hallucinations may be frightening, while others may involve ordinary visions of people, situations or objects from the past.
A hallucination involves seeing, hearing, smelling or tasting something that doesn't actually exist. Hallucinations can be the result of mental health problems like Alzheimer's disease, dementia or schizophrenia, but also be caused by other things including alcohol or drugs.
Hallucinations are caused by changes in the brain which, if they occur at all, usually happen in the middle or later stages of the dementia journey. Hallucinations are more common in dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson's dementia but they can also occur in Alzheimer's and other types of dementia.
When a patient presents with vivid visual hallucinations, a doctor probably considers common diagnoses such as delirium, dementia, psychoses, or a drug related condition. Charles Bonnet syndrome, however, is a condition characterised by visual hallucinations alongside deteriorating vision, usually in elderly people.
Elderly people who find themselves suffering from sleep disturbances or excessive daytime drowsiness might find that they experience hallucinations. Nighttime hallucinations in the elderly are also common and may contribute to lack of sleep which can, in turn, contribute to hallucinations.
Verbal hallucinations are often associated with pronounced feelings of anxiety, and it has also been suggested that anxiety somehow triggers them.
Stress can exacerbate the symptoms of psychotic, mood, anxiety, and trauma disorders. And when these disorders are at a severe level is when the risk of psychosis is heightened. So, in a way, stress can indirectly cause hallucinations.
If a person with Alzheimer's has ongoing disturbing hallucinations or delusions, seek medical help. An illness or medication may cause these behaviors. Medicines are available to treat these behaviors but must be used with caution.
Staring With 'Reduced Gaze' and Trouble Reading
“Reduced gaze” is the clinical term for the dementia symptom that alters people's ability to move their eyes normally. “We all move our eyes and track with them frequently,” says Rankin. But people showing early signs of dementia look like they're staring a lot.
For most people with Alzheimer's — those who have the late-onset variety — symptoms first appear in their mid-60s or later. When the disease develops before age 65, it's considered early-onset Alzheimer's, which can begin as early as a person's 30s, although this is rare.
Responding to Hallucinations
Speak slowly, calmly and quietly, using simple concrete language. Be patient – it may take the person longer to process information. Reduce stimuli: turn off radios, televisions, bright lights, or anything else that may cause stress.
The visual hallucinations usually start within a few days of the initial insult and resolve within a few weeks, but they may last for years. Each hallucination may last from minutes to hours, often occurring in the evening.
People who experience hallucinations do not necessarily suffer from a mental illness. It is quite common for people in the general population to experience passing and infrequent episodes of hallucination, and many people recover completely.
Common descriptions of anxiety hallucinations include: You see or hear something that isn't real. You were initially convinced you saw or heard something, but upon closer investigation, what you saw or heard didn't occur. You have a taste of a particular food, yet you didn't eat anything that would cause that taste.
Common causes of hallucinations include: mental health conditions like schizophrenia or a bipolar disorder. drugs and alcohol. Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease.
Hallucinations are reported in children as young as 5 years old, and the terms “early onset hallucinations” and “very early onset hallucinations” have used to refer to hallucinatory experiences occurring in young children.
Delirium can affect up to half of older patients in a hospital. Risk factors include having pre-existing dementia and undergoing surgery. Having had delirium in the past is also a strong risk factor. Delirium is strongly associated with worse health outcomes.
Vivid visual hallucinations are common in the geriatric population and can be due to a number of causes such as dementia, delirium, stroke, adverse effects of medication, or ocular disease.
Hallucinations experienced by people with dementia can involve any of the senses, but are most often either visual (seeing something that isn't really there) or auditory (hearing noises or voices that do not actually exist).
Dehydration in an elderly person, especially after a bout of vomiting or diarrhea, can cause imbalances in important electrolytes, including potassium and sodium, which can result in hallucinations and delusions.