Moaning wailing noise

[norfolkbeach]

My dad is 85, long story short he’s been very ill for a few months but now almost back to normal, a very full and active life with my mum who’s also very fit and well.

The problem now is he makes these moaning , wailing noises almost constantly, ahh, ahh, ahh as if he’s in pain, but he’s not in pain and if you ask him what’s the matter he says nothing. In conversation, when he speaks he immediately snaps out of the noises and talks completely normally.

The irony is that the noises are now worse when his health is better.

I’ve read that it can be an element of dementia but there are no other signs. My mum is at the end of her tether. If she says anything he says he can’t help it.

Any advice?

Give him a nudge on the arm every time he starts up? 'Hey dad you're doing it again.' Is he falling asleep or in a day-dream? Is he breathing badly and it's weird breathing noises? Does he do it walking around or just sitting/lying down?

Thanks for replying. Not asleep or daydream and definitely a voice ahhh ahh not breath sound. Now you mention it, it’s really only when sitting.

.It's definitely seen with dementia - my mother made weird guttural grunting noises although she wasn't non verbal and could have a conversation in her normal voice, but if your dad has no other symptoms, memory problems and repetitive questions being the first signs normally, then it does sound a bit odd. Could it just be a vocal tic? What was his illness?

My mum uses it as a self soothing mechanism, all though she has dementia.

My mum is 99. No dementia that makes me think she needs assessing but…..

from time to time she makes little mewing noises. I notice it when I’m in the same room but it’s quiet. No conversation but,for example, I’m putting shopping away & shes making us a cuppa. Drives me nuts!
When conversation resumes, it stops.

I accept it because I don’t think she knows shes doing it and I don’t want to hurt her feelings but I hate it.

Mil used to do this when her dementia was starting.

Unfortunately sometimes illness in an elderly person can trigger a dementia they would have developed anyway. Did he have a long hospital stay?

Thanks for all the replies.

He’s had cancer, now in remission. Several hospital stays, longest was 3 weeks a few months ago.

They had a busy day yesterday with visitors and big discussion about a major purchase. And he hardly made the noises. So DM thinks it’s boredom and attention seeking!