It started in October when he left the house twice living out a dream (in one dream walking 4 blocks to find his car which was in the garage and 2nd one getting into his car to drive to a clinic and speak to a nurse who disappeared after the power went out). In both scenarios he was awake, but completely in denial when I disagreed on what was going on with him. Two days later he was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia which doctors blamed for the two incidents.
Fast forward to today and he still has these dreams that he thinks are real. He told me the other day while we were working on putting together Christmas cards for the mail that my brother had called and told him he "did something he had never done before," and spent $100k. He ordered a new truck and my dad could not remember what my brother had told him he spent the other half on. I told him I thought that sounded like one of his dreams and he agreed to call my brother and together we spoke with him and of course this never happened. The level of detail he can recall is crazy!!
One morning he asked me "if the girls had spent the night?" I asked him what girls because all I have are boys in my house - him, my husband, my son and me. He went into this elaborate story about these girls who were over and how loud they were etc... I said no, no one slept here last night that was a girl but me. He seems confused still when I tell him it was a dream.
He naps most of the day and he is very animated. I will watch him go from having a conversation with the family to asleep in seconds. His arms will move, he might put his hand over his mouth, sometimes he leans forward in his chair and moves his mouth like he is talking. This goes on all day every day. Last night he fell asleep like this and he woke up and looked at my brother and said, "where did they put all the bacon?" When we inquired he said, "Everyone was in the store buying bacon, but they never left the store with it. Where is all the bacon?" This event from wake to sleep to asking this question was probably around 4-5 minutes.
I am providing some different scenarios here, because I don't understand what is going on with him. I have googled many things and it doesn't appear as a symptom for dementia or Alzheimer's. I have told his GP about it and he sent him to a sleep doctor who dx him with severe sleep apnea which we already knew.
I am very worried he is going to act one of these out again. What is going on with him?
My friend’s dad placed his wife in a facility when she chased him around the house with a kitchen knife in her hand. She thought that he was an intruder. It’s so sad and extremely frightening.
Try not to deny his experiences, but use "Therapeutic Lying" to assist with the situation.
I would definitely seek doctor's advice on possible causes and medications to help. In mom's case, lorazepam helps calm her and keep the dangerous activity under control.
My mother had crazy dreams swearing the were real.
I think gabapentien (sp) plays a part in it.
Things that made it worse are taking gabapentin, and having cognitive decline related to age and also Parkinson's. He is now on seroquel to reduce the hallucinations and it does help make them not as severe. However this drug does have a black box warning for increased risk of heart attack or stroke. It's better for his mental well being to have fewer hallucinatory dreams and delusions.
My mom started believing that the people on TV (News, TV shows, etc.) were talking to her and could see her. That was one of her first signs of dementia.
I also purchased this door lock when the wandering started (link): Amazon.com: Improved Childproof Door Lever Lock (2 Pack) Prevents Toddlers From Opening Doors. Easy One Hand Operation for Adults. Durable ABS with 3M Adhesive Backing. Simple Install, No Tools Needed (White, 2) : Baby
I am a wildly vivid dreamer. Not looking forward to the next 40 years ;0
She's also aware now that she can turn into "night-time mom" and night-time mom now knows to just listen to me no matter how crazy I sound and now much what I say conflicts with her 'current reality'. (Believe me, you ARE in our apartment.)
Seroquel has stopped the addition of more "new" dreams. I think she's on a very low dose, that's p much all it took.
My mom had vivid dreams too. I would hear her screaming at people in her sleep. A couple of times I had to wake her up. She thanked me for waking her up from a nightmare.
Seroquel worked extremely well for my mom. She was trying to walk out of the front door in the middle of the night.
Once Seroquel was prescribed, that behavior stopped.
As the dementia progressed, he moved on and does not appear to have that issue; however, he now believes that anything that occurs on television is real. We are now very selective with what we allow him to watch because he is angered by anyone who argues or says/does anything remotely negative to a female or child.
As far as me dealing with his delusions, I have found that trying to tell him that his delusions are not real or trying to rationalize with him only angers him and makes it worse. I have had to accept that his delusions are real to him. So basically I have learned to go along with his delusions as long as such does not cause harm or create further problems. It is not easy and is a constant learning experience. For example, he believes that the actors on television are in the house and will ask if we need to feed them, where they will sleep, or where they are at after we have turned off the television (particularly for little children). I generally tell him “oh, they went home” or “they are eating with their parents.” He is usually satisfied with those answers. I know that some will say that I am lying to him but I am actually not in his reality plus it causes no harm and it eases his mind.
I have read this sentiment many times…… you can’t change the person so you need to learn to change yourself.
My mother was trying to walk out of the front door in the middle of the night.
Mom took Sinemet for her Parkinson’s disease. She also had dementia and hospice prescribed Ativan and Seroquel. These drugs helped to keep her calm.
There is also a relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and vivid dreaming, so it's likely the two are tied in together. But I'd explore the Narcolepsy relationship especially if dad keeps dropping off to sleep constantly.
Good luck!
Pneumonia can cause confusion for a while. Your Dad could still have it. I would call his PCP.
I found for myself, if I dive into the chocolates after dinner, my dreams feel very real. Same could happen if one drinks cola or anything else with caffine. Or if Dad likes to eat a late dinner after 7pm, whatever he is eating could fire up those dreams.
It's something to explore.