We've already spoken of the different symptoms of Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), confusion, REM Sleep Disorder, Confusion, Hallucinations, etc. But one that I find fascinating, and nearly thought Mom was beginning to experience was Capgras Syndrome - or the delusion that someone (usually a person who is very close and endeared to the patient) is an imposter, posing as someone else. For instance, if I were to sit down next to Mom, she would ask me where I was, as I was not who I was - I was an imposter! I'm really hoping this doesn't happen, but if it does, then I pray I'm able to handle it with aplomb.
According to the National Institutes on Aging, Capgras Syndrome is:
Capgras syndrome is characterized by the recurrent, transient belief that a person has been replaced by an identical imposter. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3713629/. 09/15/2014.)
This is identified in approximately 17-20% of Dementia Patients. It is not only seen in LBD patients, but Alzheimer's as well. However, it is seen as a symptom of LBD, and due to Mom's anxiety, and her propensity for hallucinations, especially of late, she falls into the category of those who may develop the syndrome.
According to the literature found on PsychCentral, Mom actually did have an occurrence. This was when she called me in a panic, to tell how she was being held hostage in a house that was not hers! She wanted to sneak out to her car and drive around to find her own home, but I convinced her to find a bed and sleep it off - she'd have better luck in the morning (it was dark outside, and Lord knows what could have happened had she been in this state and driving!). She obliged.
Another time was when she was convinced she had been moved, overnight, from Port Angeles to Cedar Hills in Portland. She told me the house was similar, and she still had the view of the Straits of Juan de Fuca, and the movers had done such a nice job it was very nearly as it was at her "old house." This actually went on a few days, until her friend called her and then went over convincing her she was actually at home in Port Angeles (Whew!) So, the next day she phoned and told me they had moved her back overnight. This incident provided us with a little dilemma - she'd call and want us to come over for coffee or dinner. We (my brother and I) would have to decline, which disappointed her and made her a little bitter. But what else could we do? Port Angeles is about 4 hours away!
Mom did present this delusion at other times as when on Christmas morning she thought we were eating at my house, but then changed to their old Portland home, and finally, exasperated, thought I was playing tricks on her when I told her we were really in her own home, there in PA. There were mild episodes that, at one point in time, seemed innocent, but I had no real idea what was truly occurring.
Here's an anctidote from PsychCentral:
According to the National Institutes on Aging, Capgras Syndrome is:
Capgras syndrome is characterized by the recurrent, transient belief that a person has been replaced by an identical imposter. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3713629/. 09/15/2014.)
This is identified in approximately 17-20% of Dementia Patients. It is not only seen in LBD patients, but Alzheimer's as well. However, it is seen as a symptom of LBD, and due to Mom's anxiety, and her propensity for hallucinations, especially of late, she falls into the category of those who may develop the syndrome.
According to the literature found on PsychCentral, Mom actually did have an occurrence. This was when she called me in a panic, to tell how she was being held hostage in a house that was not hers! She wanted to sneak out to her car and drive around to find her own home, but I convinced her to find a bed and sleep it off - she'd have better luck in the morning (it was dark outside, and Lord knows what could have happened had she been in this state and driving!). She obliged.
Another time was when she was convinced she had been moved, overnight, from Port Angeles to Cedar Hills in Portland. She told me the house was similar, and she still had the view of the Straits of Juan de Fuca, and the movers had done such a nice job it was very nearly as it was at her "old house." This actually went on a few days, until her friend called her and then went over convincing her she was actually at home in Port Angeles (Whew!) So, the next day she phoned and told me they had moved her back overnight. This incident provided us with a little dilemma - she'd call and want us to come over for coffee or dinner. We (my brother and I) would have to decline, which disappointed her and made her a little bitter. But what else could we do? Port Angeles is about 4 hours away!
Mom did present this delusion at other times as when on Christmas morning she thought we were eating at my house, but then changed to their old Portland home, and finally, exasperated, thought I was playing tricks on her when I told her we were really in her own home, there in PA. There were mild episodes that, at one point in time, seemed innocent, but I had no real idea what was truly occurring.
Here's an anctidote from PsychCentral:
At 3 a.m., wearing pajamas and socks, an 89-year-old man with Lewy Body Dementia was found by a security guard four floors below his apartment. His walker was later found abandoned on the second floor. Agitated and confused, he insisted repeatedly that he was looking for his “other” apartment. “I know we have two, exactly alike, one that we sleep in at night,” he said. “But I can’t find the other one.”
and another
A 65-year-old woman diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease had what had become a typical spat with her spouse of 40 years. He argued, furious and insulted, “I’m your husband! Don’t you know me?!” “You look exactly like him,” she said quietly, “but I know that you’re not him.” Nothing could convince her otherwise, though the man told her many things only her husband would know. “You are one of the two imposters that come around here, not my husband,” she insisted.
This gives an idea of what to expect. Although Mom is on medication, I'm hoping the doctor might be able to re-evaluate her dosages to bypass any further incidents - but my hopes may be in vain.
Should this syndrome present itself in the future (near or far), i'll feel a little more prepared...
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