Audio Hallucinations

leafbean

Registered User
Jan 29, 2016
12
0
Hi we care for my mother in law who was diagnosed with mild dementia 12 months ago it has got progressively worse since. She had a stroke 2 years ago with no visible side effects she is 90 years old.
She also suffers with recurring UTIs which make her even more muddled at times but she is clear at the moment.
In the last few weeks she says she can hear a welsh choir and it is very loud and she has asked the warden ( she lives in a retirement flat warden controlled ) to find out who is playing this music but there is actually no music it is in her mind. The doctor had diagnosed her with audio hallucinations which apparently you can do nothing about she is being sent for a brain scan soon.
Now she says it is happening during the night as well the doctor has suggested distraction is the best way to deal with it such as putting radio / TV on when she hears it this does work sometimes but naturally at night not a good idea.
My question is has anybody else experienced this and how do you cope with it as she is getting very distressed by this as she is convinced there is music and she is not imagining it also she says she is going to go outside if it happens again at night to see where it is coming from which worries me.I am talking to the doctor on Monday but any suggestions I would be really grateful. Many thanks
 

chris53

Registered User
Nov 9, 2009
2,929
0
London
Hello leafbean:) a warm welcome here to Talking Point, much support and understanding here whenever needed..just a thought regarding your mum in law,not every physical or "imagined" symptom is because of dementia, so sad that these other problems are overlooked:eek: has she had a recent ear check? only saying that because she may have tinnitus, which is not always buzzing or noises,it can also be singing or music,hoping others here may come up with some ideas, please keep posting and take care.
Chris
 

Auntie Mame

Registered User
Jan 24, 2016
11
0
Hi we care for my mother in law who was diagnosed with mild dementia 12 months ago it has got progressively worse since. She had a stroke 2 years ago with no visible side effects she is 90 years old.
She also suffers with recurring UTIs which make her even more muddled at times but she is clear at the moment.
In the last few weeks she says she can hear a welsh choir and it is very loud and she has asked the warden ( she lives in a retirement flat warden controlled ) to find out who is playing this music but there is actually no music it is in her mind. The doctor had diagnosed her with audio hallucinations which apparently you can do nothing about she is being sent for a brain scan soon.
Now she says it is happening during the night as well the doctor has suggested distraction is the best way to deal with it such as putting radio / TV on when she hears it this does work sometimes but naturally at night not a good idea.
My question is has anybody else experienced this and how do you cope with it as she is getting very distressed by this as she is convinced there is music and she is not imagining it also she says she is going to go outside if it happens again at night to see where it is coming from which worries me.I am talking to the doctor on Monday but any suggestions I would be really grateful. Many thanks

Hi, I find your comment quite amazing. The sounds of a Welsh choir are very, very distinctive - dozens of deep male voices in harmony. So I would hardly suppose an 'ear check' would do any good, and I doubt this is tinnitus The more I read about visual and auditory hallucinations, the more I am beginning to wonder if the 'dream state' of a healthy person, i.e. deep level sleep, is somehow manifesting in dementia victims when they are fully conscious. Vivid, colorful scenes, with the sounds of natural noise, and even extremely realistic, full orchestral and choral music, is normal in the dreams of many people.

So my theory, and perhaps medical people somewhere are already looking into this idea, is that dementia patients, as well as schizophrenics, have a two-dimensional perceptive existence - and the irrationality of the delusions is as nonsensical as the dreams all of us experience.
 

nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,075
0
Bury
My wife suffered from auditory hallucinations but never seemed disturbed by them.

She would suddenly say things like 'they have just interrupted the wireless with a severe weather warning', there was of course no wireless. I think wireless instead of radio was significant. I used to just make a suitable comment.
 

Selinacroft

Registered User
Oct 10, 2015
936
0
Have just been reading about this elsewhere and the cause was found to be lack of sleep, lack of food and excessive caffeine so do any of these sound likely causes?
 

Quilty

Registered User
Aug 28, 2014
1,050
0
GLASGOW
Hello my mother suffers from musical hallucinations too. The consultant said too much time on her own was making it worse. She was calling the police and reporting them having parties when they were asleep in bed. Keeping her calm and quiet helps and nit over tired.
 

BillBRNC

Registered User
Jan 26, 2016
40
0
USA NC
I've noticed recently that when I take a shower, I hear sounds now that I've never heard before in the shower. I don't know what they are, other than they aren't really there, other than in my head. Maybe I can hear things others can't. I don't know. I realized today that the sound I was hearing was actually the water going down the drain, but it had never sounded that way before to me. Odd. As odd goes, I didn't really give it much thought, and I still put in at the bottom of the list, but it is really odd the way these things come and go. I guess it is mid-evening over there on your side of the pond. It is around 2 in the afternoon here. I think I'm going to take a nap, since I got my usual 2 hours of sleep last night.
 

Lawson58

Registered User
Aug 1, 2014
4,333
0
Victoria, Australia
Hi Leafbean,

I am unsure why you say that your mum can't have a radio on at nighttime which might help distract her from the hallucinations.

So long as it doesn't disturb anyone else, a radio playing in the background just might work. If it helps then it is a very harmless thing to try.
 

arielsmelody

Registered User
Jul 16, 2015
515
0
I wonder if white noise, the kind of thing they sell to help babies fall asleep or the noise of a fan, might help at night?
 

fizzie

Registered User
Jul 20, 2011
2,725
0
I can't help with the auditory hallucinations but the UTIs - my Ma had one after another and I asked the doctor if she could go on a low dose daily antibiotic to prevent them - she did that and never had another UTI. I would suggest you have a word with your GP - it is a recommended route
 

leafbean

Registered User
Jan 29, 2016
12
0
Hi Chris

Hello leafbean:) a warm welcome here to Talking Point, much support and understanding here whenever needed..just a thought regarding your mum in law,not every physical or "imagined" symptom is because of dementia, so sad that these other problems are overlooked:eek: has she had a recent ear check? only saying that because she may have tinnitus, which is not always buzzing or noises,it can also be singing or music,hoping others here may come up with some ideas, please keep posting and take care.
Chris
Hi Chris thank you for you response yes she has had an ear test and can manage without hearing aids at the moment I found the article interesting I will mention it to the doc on Monday many thanks Sue
 

leafbean

Registered User
Jan 29, 2016
12
0
Thank you

I can't help with the auditory hallucinations but the UTIs - my Ma had one after another and I asked the doctor if she could go on a low dose daily antibiotic to prevent them - she did that and never had another UTI. I would suggest you have a word with your GP - it is a recommended route

I have mentioned it to the doctor but and asked about the low dose antibiotics but as she had not had an attack for a few months and only had one this time he would not prescribe it unless she had one after the other again I will ask again though as I think it would help as she will not drink enough water and we have to keep telling her to do so and she gets agitated with that which I can understand when someone is constantly telling you to do something
 

leafbean

Registered User
Jan 29, 2016
12
0
Radio

Hi Leafbean,

I am unsure why you say that your mum can't have a radio on at nighttime which might help distract her from the hallucinations.

So long as it doesn't disturb anyone else, a radio playing in the background just might work. If it helps then it is a very harmless thing to try.

Unfortunately she has it on very loud and it would disturb her neighbours as she is above someone and also her bedroom backs onto next doors bedroom although its pretty sound proof I think you would hear it and also she lives alone and I dont think her mind the way it is she would remember to turn it on as her short term memory is terrible she does not remember what you tell her after about 10 mins. She is so convinced it is real as well. thanks Sue
 

fizzie

Registered User
Jul 20, 2011
2,725
0
I have mentioned it to the doctor but and asked about the low dose antibiotics but as she had not had an attack for a few months and only had one this time he would not prescribe it unless she had one after the other again I will ask again though as I think it would help as she will not drink enough water and we have to keep telling her to do so and she gets agitated with that which I can understand when someone is constantly telling you to do something

Good idea, I just said to my Doc that my Ma's time was limited and life was difficult enough without adding a crazy making UTI into the mix when it could be prevented and she saw the light lol. Sometimes they know they theory but they just don't get the reality

I just wondered if you had seen this info
This leaflet on compassionate communication is very useful - I found it very hard to master but I stuck it on my fridge to remind me every day and it really does work

Do have a look at it
http://www.ocagingservicescollabora...te-Communication-with-the-Memory-Impaired.pdf
 

leafbean

Registered User
Jan 29, 2016
12
0
Hi, I find your comment quite amazing. The sounds of a Welsh choir are very, very distinctive - dozens of deep male voices in harmony. So I would hardly suppose an 'ear check' would do any good, and I doubt this is tinnitus The more I read about visual and auditory hallucinations, the more I am beginning to wonder if the 'dream state' of a healthy person, i.e. deep level sleep, is somehow manifesting in dementia victims when they are fully conscious. Vivid, colorful scenes, with the sounds of natural noise, and even extremely realistic, full orchestral and choral music, is normal in the dreams of many people.

So my theory, and perhaps medical people somewhere are already looking into this idea, is that dementia patients, as well as schizophrenics, have a two-dimensional perceptive existence - and the irrationality of the delusions is as nonsensical as the dreams all of us experience.

I totally agree with you dreams can be so vivid sometimes you believe them true so this could be that somewhere along the line maybe this is happening to her as she says she can hear the lead singer who has a lovely voice and she hears him giving instructions to the choir like stop and start up again so to her it is very real thank you for your comments Sue
 

leafbean

Registered User
Jan 29, 2016
12
0
My wife suffered from auditory hallucinations but never seemed disturbed by them.

She would suddenly say things like 'they have just interrupted the wireless with a severe weather warning', there was of course no wireless. I think wireless instead of radio was significant. I used to just make a suitable comment.

I think the reason it is distressing her is it also happens every night at 1pm and 3pm so it disturbs her sleep also when she has carers or visitors she cannot understand why they do not hear it when she says it is vibrating the walls it is so loud mant y thanks for your reply
 

leafbean

Registered User
Jan 29, 2016
12
0
Hi

Have just been reading about this elsewhere and the cause was found to be lack of sleep, lack of food and excessive caffeine so do any of these sound likely causes?

We have taken her off coffee because of the dehydration with the UTIs she eats well and lack of sleep probably and I think as someone said if she is on her own for a while because she does not have any distraction from it thank you Sue