Hi all, I really need some advice or to hear from anyone who has been through something similar.
My husband has gone to Morocco as he got a call from a neighbour that his dad was in the streets. When they took him home his house was a state. He has a dog and there was hair everywhere, food rotting and his dad has list a lot of weight.
My father-in-law, in his 70s, has had a really rapid mental decline over the past couple of months. Before this he was living alone and managing.
Now it’s a complete change. He:
- is very paranoid (saying people are going to kill him)
- believes there are people outside watching him
- is seeing things that aren’t there (he said there is a tiny lady the size of a cigarette stealing his money)
- believes there is a “list” and he is number 7 to be killed, and that other men have already been taken
- says things that don’t make sense and repeats himself
- isn’t doing his normal routine at all anymore
He has always recognised my husband, so he still knows who he is, but at the same time is having these hallucinations and beliefs.
He refused to go to a doctor and even chased one away saying he was an agent. At night it seems worse he sweats, stares at the ground, and looks genuinely frightened and distressed.
There are moments where he can still do things if guided (my husband got him to help make mint tea by prompting him step by step), but mentally he is very different.
We are trying to get him seen properly but it’s difficult as he is refusing and this is happening abroad.
Has anyone seen something like this before? Did it turn out to be dementia, delirium, or something else? Can it really come on this quickly?
I feel like this is more than just “normal ageing” and we’re watching something serious happen but struggling to get help in place.
Any experiences or advice would really help.