Learn About Parkinson’s Disease Hallucinations And Delusions In Quakertown, PA

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a central nervous system disorder that most commonly affects seniors age 60 and older. Symptoms start gradually, often with a barely noticeable tremor in one of the hands, and increase in severity over time. 

Most people are very familiar with the motor symptoms of PD, however it is important to remember that the non motor symptoms can be just as frustrating. Your loved one may experience constipation, anxiety, insomnia, hallucinations, or delusions to name just a few. 

In fact, it is estimated that around 50% of people with PD will experience hallucinations or delusions during the course of the disease.

Understanding Parkinson's Disease Hallucinations And Delusions

There is currently no accurate way to predict who will experience PD related hallucinations or delusions, but there are theories about what causes them. One theory is that they are a side effect of certain dopamine therapies, while another supposes that they are simply a natural progression of PD. Risk factors can include:

• Certain medications that increase dopamine levels 
• Duration and severity of Parkinson’s 
• Getting older

Healthcare providers may refer to these hallucinations or delusions as Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis, or PDP.

What Are The Signs? 

There are a number of warning signs that you and other people associated with your loved one’s care should be aware of including:

Signs that a loved one may be experiencing hallucinations can include: seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing, or feeling things that are not really there. 

Signs that a loved one may be experiencing delusions can include: 

• Thinking someone is trying to steal from, harm, or deceive them
• Believing their loved one is being unfaithful
• Thinking a TV show or song is talking directly to them

Due to the fact that hallucinations and delusions can increase in severity over time, it is imperative that you pay attention to any warning signs. If left unchecked, people who experience hallucinations or delusions can begin to lose their grasp on what is real, causing them undue stress and anxiety. 

If you believe that a loved one is experiencing hallucinations or delusions, please be sure to contact their PD specialist!

How Can Comfort Keepers® Help?

So you’ve decided that you need a little more help taking care of your loved one with PD, and that’s okay! We all need a little bit of help sometimes and that where your local Comfort Keepers® can step in. Our compassionate, friendly caregivers can provide more than just crucial in home care for people with PD, they provide Interactive Caregiving™.

Interactive Caregiving™ is our in home care philosophy that seniors are happiest and healthiest when all of their mental, physical, and social needs are cared for. We encourage seniors to work together with their caregiver in order to create schedules and activities that they can look forward to and enjoy. From trying new recipes, to spending time with family and friends, to searching for new books at the library, we want your loved one to do the things they enjoy. 

At Comfort Keepers™, our goal is to provide your loved one with the safety and security they need to continue living in their home, without making them feel as though they’ve lost their independence. We want seniors to be able to spend their golden years enjoying the home they worked for.

If you’d like to learn more about how hallucinations or delusions can affect people with Parkinson’s Disease, how a Comfort Keepers® caregiver can provide the best in home care for you or your loved one with Parkinson’s, or if you’d like to schedule your free in home consultation, please contact us online any time or call us at (215) 529-6810.

Resources For People With Parkinson’s Disease

• National Parkinson’s Foundation: Improves the lives of people with Parkinson’s by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. They build on the energy, experience, and passion of their global Parkinson’s community.
• American Parkinson’s Disease Association (APDA): The American Parkinson’s Disease Association is the largest grassroots network dedicated to fighting Parkinson’s disease and works tirelessly to help the approximately one million people with Parkinson’s to live life to the fullest. 
• The Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research: The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson’s today. 
• Davis Phinney Foundation For Parkinson’s: This foundation provides essential information, practical tools, and inspiration to people living with Parkinson’s and funds early phase, innovative research that focuses on exercise, speech, movement, and other factors that affect quality of life. Their goal is to help people with Parkinson’s live well today.