Elderly Mother in law has Hallucinations

My mother in law is 84 and she is seeing things from when she was in hospital last week.

From horses in the field to seeing a man woman and two dogs in the field next to the hospital and seeing a teddybear breathing in front of the couch and ants in the hospital and worms on the sitting room floor.

She has had tests in the hospital from head scans to bloods and urine.

Can you please help?

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Hoping your MIL is doing great NEW
by: Jeremy Jardinel

What you are describing sounds like it could be hospital-induced delirium which is actually very common in elderly patients after a hospital stay and can cause vivid and very realistic hallucinations that persist even after discharge. The good news is that delirium-related hallucinations often improve once the person is back in a familiar environment, well hydrated, sleeping regularly, and away from the disorienting nature of hospital settings. Since the tests came back and did not flag anything obvious it is worth asking her doctor specifically about delirium or ICU psychosis as a diagnosis because it sometimes gets missed when the focus is on ruling out physical causes.

Keep the environment calm, familiar, and well lit especially at night since darkness tends to make the hallucinations more intense. If they are not improving or are getting worse in the coming days a follow up with her GP or a geriatric specialist would be the right next step.

I got most of my references here:
https://hopebridge.care/yakima-families-searching-for-compassionate-dementia-care/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delirium
https://www.healthinaging.org/tools-and-tips/tip-sheet-managing-delirium-older-adults

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