Let’s review what you have learned
- Unreal thoughts or seeing/hearing things that are not there (delusions and hallucinations) are common in people with dementia.
- They can be very upsetting to the person living with dementia and the carer.
- Often, people with these visions and unreal thoughts need a lot of reassurance.
- It is important to identify ways to reduce them, not by arguing with the person you care for, but by comforting and distracting them.
- Check the environment to see if there is a cause for the delusion or hallucination.
- If one approach doesn’t work, try another one.
- Remind yourself that unreal thoughts or visions are part of the disease.
- Take a deep breath and think about the best ways to respond that will be the least distressing to you and the person you care for if they are experiencing unreal thoughts or visions.
You finished this lesson, well done!
