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Dementia and Alzheimer's

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Bad dreams and dementia

8 replies

ACatCalledPuss · 23/07/2023 05:41

My dm was diagnosed with vascular dementia and alzheimers a few months ago. We have known for the past couple of years but has taken ages to get a diagnosis. I live a couple of hours away but have some siblings who live in the same town as her thankfully as she has been on her own since df died in 2020. The other evening, she was at my db's for dinner when she was sick, so he stayed with her that night to make sure she was okay. In the middle of the night he heard her up taking a shower and went to see she was okay and she was confused and talked about the house falling down and she was dirty. He got her back to bed and settled and she obviously had had a bad dream. I am staying with her tonight and woke up as I heard her in the bathroom. She had left the lights on and the hot tap running and was back in bed, but was confused and had her pyjamas off. She said she had a bad dream and couldn't get her clothes off. I am staying with her tomorrow night as well so will see if there is a repeat but wondering if this is going to be a regular occurrence? Worried now about whether she is safe to be left at home at night on her own. She seems okay during the day and still able to keep herself and the house tidy. Could it be the dementia medication giving her the bad dreams? She has only been on them since May and the dose was increased a couple of weeks ago. Any advice or similar experiences would be appreciated.

OP posts:
DustyLee123 · 23/07/2023 07:31

Id suggest you need to get a GP assessment as she needs to go back to the memory clinic. And has she had a social services assessment, as she lives alone ?

DustyLee123 · 23/07/2023 07:33

Is a will and LPA in place ?

BanditsOnTheHorizon · 23/07/2023 08:08

Speak to her gp and maybe even social services. My dm started seeing things and would do things like leave taps on, heaters, oven etc. luckily my dd was still at home but exhausted as she would get up 6+ times a night and wander around the house.
We ended up putting her in an nhs funded home after my dd had a heart attack and couldn't care for her any longer (me and my db lived 5* hours away).

BanditsOnTheHorizon · 23/07/2023 08:08

Df at home not dd

IthinkIsawahairbrushbackthere · 23/07/2023 13:32

My mum started to confuse dreams with reality. She would be convinced she had heard me crying outside her door in the early hours, that there were people running up and down our driveway, someone had phoned her in the middle of the night. None of those things were true but she was convinced they had happened and was terribly upset by them.

Munchyseeds2 · 23/07/2023 16:35

Donipezil can cause people to have strange dreams
Taking it in the morning can help

Acornsoup · 23/07/2023 18:35

It could be Lewy Body Dementia. It's definitely worth another trip to the GP and ask for another assessment.

ACatCalledPuss · 23/07/2023 20:14

I really think it must be the donepezil as she was fine till they increased the dose. She has also been feeling nauseous a lot since taking the 10mg and has actually been sick a couple of times. I'm going to speak to her GP in the morning.

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