Her BP goes up when ever she sees a vision. My Dad and I are worried about these visions getting worse now instead of better. She gets really scared when she see's someone that's not there and her BP goes up. Dad says this can't go on but the meds the doctors give her make it worse. I'm stressing so bad it's making me sick and I'm the only one close enough to help them. Dad isn't ready for outside help and says he can take care of her, I just asked him yesterday if he thought it was time for help. She's lost a lot of weight since Nov. 2o14 and still losing. I'm at a loss when she says there's someone in the room with us. It makes me sick to my stomach. I don't think she is at the end of her life but I really don't know where my Mom is in her head anymore. Any advise???
How to help someone manage Lewy Body Dementia
When it comes to helping someone manage the symptoms of LBD, small things can often make a big difference.
Create a routine. It may help people with Lewy Body Dementia to have predictable routines, especially around meal times and sleep times.
Establish a nighttime ritual. Try to establish bedtime rituals that are calming and away from the noise of television, meal cleanup, and active family members. Limiting caffeine consumption during the day, discouraging daytime napping, and encouraging exercise can help curb restlessness at night.
Modify tasks. Break tasks into easier steps and focus on success, not failure.
Walk together. Taking a walk with the patient with LBD is a win-win activity. Being outdoors and exercising is vital for the health and state of mind for both the patient and you.
Strengthen senses. Have a doctor evaluate each the patient’s five senses in order to identify and treat any abnormalities. Then ask about exercises to improve them.
Make lifestyle changes. To help minimize the risk of fall-related injuries, you can help stabilize blood pressure. Help your loved one stay well hydrated, exercise, take in adequate sodium (salt), avoid prolonged bed rest, and stand up slowly.
source http://www.helpguide.org/articles/alzheimers-dementia/lewy-body-dementia.htm
However an additional tip from one of the care homes I visited is that remove all flowered/patterned stuff from the room because people can start to see faces in carpets/ curtains etc. plain plain plain seems to alleviate some of the stress and they use lavender fragranced polish, cleansing materials and sachets in pillows. We can but try and see what works best.
Check out lbda.org and YouTube videos by Teepa Snow. If you're on Facebook, you'll find a warm and helpful group called Lewy Body Dementia Carers. It's a closed group, but knock, and the door will be opened. Good luck!
UTIs are the very devil - in fact any infection is. My mum still sees people but in a different format than she has when she has an infection. We talk about it now and I never contradict her we just talk gently and calmly about what or who she is seeing.
It is helpful if you can establish what she see ie man/woman/child/people/what they are wearing/doing because that tells the psych doctors a lot. You also need to note down what time she sees these people/where she is/what else is happening/has she just woken up from a doze while the TV is on.
I was at the Psych yesterday with mum and these were all the questions he asked her so clearly they have importance/significance. My mum's incidences tend to be when she has dozed in the chair while the TV is on and seem to occur about 10 minutes after I have been in to check on her so it might be thatit registers but not consciously - I have some more monitoring to do now because we established yesterday she didnt tell me EVERY time she saw someone so we dont have a clear picture just yet but we will.
As for loss of weight that needs a doctors input - you could boost her calorific intake with food supplement drinks but take advice before you do she may just be forgetting to eat and need more prompting thatn your Dad is giving, she may need to eat less but more often and sometimes an overfull plate just puts some older people off eating altogether...
..good luck hun