New to everything

[Jezebel2007]

My grandmother has dementia, and she's going downhill drastically. She's very insistent on letting the cats and dogs inside, and there are no animals here (haven't been any since her beloved Pomeranian died 2yrs ago). Also, at night in her sleep she's been crying for her mother. I know hallucinations are a part of dementia, but the crying out in her sleep? Is that normal?

[JimLasVegas]

Jezebel (one of my wife's favorite songs/Frankie Laine) - Welcome

I think "normal" would be a hard word to relate to dementia. In many ways the folks who suffer from it are all the same, but they all bring their individual life experiences into it. It's a whole other world that we "reasonable" persons find it hard to understand. My wife would cry out from a sound sleep, "WHAT?" She was answering her mother who was "calling" her. She also talked to her dad a few times and actually saw him in her room.

Understand that your grandmother is living in a world of many, many years ago. The frightening thing is it's real to her.

You're welcome to read my experience with dementia here...
http://analzheimersmemoir.blogspot.com/
It's a long read but maybe worth it if you have the time.

God bless you and be with you and your grandmother in these trying times.
Jim

[Jezebel2007]

This is definitely not something I was prepared to handle, but now we're keeping a notebook on everything she's doing. She doesn't sleep very well at night (she's usually up every 1 1/2 - 2hrs), but i haven't really seen anything on any sites that deal with interrupted sleep patterns.

Today, she was definitely in one of her moods. I know that by the end of it she's going to be cruel. I know it's not her fault when she says hurtful things, because she experienced 60+ years of mental and emotional abuse.

[Marcus]

Welcome...Keeping notes to show to her doctor is a good idea. There are medications that can help with the behaviors and sleep changes associated to dementia.
Lifestyle Measures May Promote Sound Sleep in Alzheimer’s
http://www.alzinfo.org/newsarticle/templates/archivenewstemplate.asp?articleid=90&zoneid=6

Treatments for Sleep Changes
http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_10429.asp

And this link is the best I've found for helping you cope with all of the behavior changes due to dementia.
http://www.alzheimers.org.au/content.cfm?topicid=62

Jim's blog is worth the read.It's not really that long.I've read it all a few times. It's a wonderful love story.