Expert: Paula Damgaard - 9/27/2008

Question
my 86 yr. old father has been on aricept for 4 years and recently has been having hallucinations especially at night. Is ther any other suggested treatments? This is very draining on my mother who is the primary caretaker. Thanks

Answer
Hi Deb, there are other treatments and your mom should ask for them.  She should take him to a neurologist or a geriatric specialist; either a geriatric internist or a geriatric psychiatrist.  They will give her the most help.  Also I think most of her exhaustion comes from trying to "correct" him.  Tell her to stop.  The hallucinations he is having as long as they are not "harmful" she should just let him have them.   Meaning if he tells her the sky is purple, she should just say it is beautiful.  If she tries to make him see that it is blue she will only frustrate herself and exhaust herself, which is way more stressful then it needs to be.  

Sometimes it is thought that the hallucinations are comforting for them so if your mom talks to him about what is going on he might enjoy it.  Some hallucinations are auditory and some are visual.  SO you need to determine which one is occurring.  Like: He is saying I wish those dogs would stop barking; meaning his hallucination is hearing dogs bark.  Rather than telling him there are no dogs determine, first if it is annoying him, then you can either tell him you will go outside and tell them to stop (and do it) or if he is just commenting on them barking, "why do you think they are barking?  do you think the deer are out tonight?"  I have found that if you talk them through the hallucination it is much more calming to them and decreases the need for adding more chemicals to the brain, which we aren't too sure about what they are doing to a demented brain anyway.

Having said that, if the hallucinations are causing a safetly issue for your mom then absolutely treat him.  It is way more important for your mom to be safe than for her to try to talk him through a hallucination!  

Hope this helps.  Take care.  Paula