Hallucinations, delusions and paranoia are all symptoms that individuals with dementia commonly experience. It can be distressing to witness these types of behaviors in a loved one, but you can help by understanding each of these symptoms, the differences between them and how to manage them.
If you’re a caretaker for a loved one with dementia, at some point, they may experience delusions – strong beliefs that have no real basis in reality, which can form into paranoia which worsens as dementia progresses. Paranoia adds an extra layer of stress to the already difficult job of caretaking, but there are ways you can soothe your loved one and manage their symptoms.
When a person with dementia hallucinates, they experience something very real to them that nobody else does, because they sense something that isn’t there.