@TessB Such a difficult time for you. I hope the antibiotics are helping, as infections have such a big impact on people with dementia too .
It is interesting how similar your experience is to others, and my Mum was just the same when still at home. She lost the ability to understand day/ night, even with cues and a dementia clock. She would always say the clock was wrong. I tired a warm drink in a thermos cup, and a snack by her bed like you, which helped a little. She also became very scared of people in the house and garden, eventually becoming more extreme with people trying to harm her, frogs on the carpet and a dog in the washing machine - not sure if these were visual hallucinations too. It is exhausting and the point that we had to look to care home, and even night carers won't deal with this. I would definitely also ask the Dr about meds for anxiety. My Mum's GP prescribed antidepressants which surprised me but apparently they can work well for anxiety in dementia- they definitely helped Mum for quite a few months. I have learned a lot from the way the specialist dementia care home handle these things. They don't try to put her back to bed but have the lights on in the lounge, warm blankets, and a special "night owl" menu of hot chocolate, horlicks, crumpets, toast, porridge - and then gently guide her back. I've witnessed this recently, while sitting with my Dad on end of life care, and it helps her settle quickly. I know you can't possibly do that at home, but it helped give me peace of mind that the care home decision was right - as I know how hard that is. Wishing you all the best caring for your Mum x
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