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Shanna ParrishTaylor
Shanna Parrish-Taylor is the Director of Nursing at Vintage Place Assisted Living. She is a RN with 9 years long term care experience, experience in critical care as well as hospice setting. Shanna is currently working on her master’s degree towards obtaining her ANRP. For more information on Shanna or Vintage Place please call 620-231-4554.
Senior Living
2012-03-23 10:14:17
How do I deal with paranoia?
Q: My siblings and I are sharing the responsibility of caring for our mother. This was working well until she started to get very paranoid about things. Lately she has been making wild accusations and pitting us against each other. What can I do to help get this on track and all of us on the same page?
A: Paranoia, delusions, and hallucinations are all very common problems in dementia, and whether you are providing care at home or your loved one is in an assisted living or nursing facility, paranoia causes a lot of disturbance for caregivers and loved ones. The first step in dealing with paranoia is understanding what is really happening. Dementia can cause sufferers to develop strange ideas about what is actually happening and may come to believe that other people want to harm them, are plotting against them, or have stolen something from them. These symptoms are not caused by mental illness, as some mistakenly believe, but are a result of the brain’s miscommunication. Unfortunately, these delusions can wreck havoc in a family. Very often, the sufferer will become confused when family starts to handle more of their affairs and accuse caretakers of stealing money from their account or items from the home, or even accuse those around them of abusing them in some way. Dealing with these issues requires your efforts in several areas: •Do not take these things personally. It is not something the sufferer can control and is not a reflection on you. •Deal with the issues directly with your mother but do not try to correct her no matter how irrational the thoughts. If she thinks something has been stolen, assure her that you will find it. If she believes she has been abused, assure her that you will keep her safe. •Talk with your siblings and discuss a plan of handling the problems. Make sure that the lines of communication are always open and that all activities are documented and free for all to see. Finances tend to cause the most problems, so provide a detailed accounting to avoid any problems or hurt feelings later. •Talk to your mother’s physician about the problem and ask whether medications may help lessen the severity of the symptoms. •Give yourself a break. Enlist the help of a skilled caregiver or facility for daytime services, or when the care becomes too much, find a skilled nursing facility that can handle dementia care. •Find a support group. Dealing with caregiving is difficult at best and even more difficult when paranoia is a part of the equation. Dealing with paranoia is emotional and exhausting. Talking with your siblings directly, openly, and honestly can help you all move forward in a positive way.
 
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