Discerning the Differences Between Fact Confusion, and Delusion from Your Aging Family Member

If you’re having difficult discerning whether your aging family member is suffering from confusion or paranoid delusions, simply continue reading to learn how to tell fact apart from fiction. As there is always the chance that your loved one is telling you the truth.

How to tell if your loved one is suffering from confusion:

If your loved one frequently asks you for the same information, such as a family member’s name, there’s a high chance that they’re experiencing short term, memory loss. Unfortunately, confusion is a common issue which affects elderly men and women, over the age of 65. In some cases, confusion may be one of the first signs of dementia.

It’s also worth nothing that in many cases, your loved one’s long term memory will remain in tact, whilst they’ll struggle to remember what they ate for breakfast, or what day it is. Another sign that your loved one may be confused is if they fail to recognize where they are. As a common example, an individual suffering from confusion, may walk halfway to the bathroom and then stop and forget where they were going and what they were doing.

How to tell if your loved one is suffering from delusions:

When your loved one’s cognitive abilities decline, they may lose the ability to see the world around them, in a logical way. As an example, if your loved one tells you that their carer has been stealing from their room, they may have simply misplaced the item, that they think is stolen. Often elderly individuals may create stories to make sense of the situations, that confuse them.

Unfortunately paranoid delusions are relatively common place amongst older individuals. However, if you have reason to believe that your loved one may be telling the truth, in regards to an accusation made against one of their carers, you may want to discover how you can use a lawyer to help settle your loved one’s dispute.

How to tell if your loved one is rational and is telling the truth:

If your loved one is able to rationally answer a series of basic questions about an incident, there’s a high likelihood that they’re telling the truth. As an example, if your loved one can tell you what they were doing directly before and after an incident, it’s well worth asking their carer, to clarify what went on.

It’s also worth getting your loved one to repeat their story twice. If they are suffering from confusion or a delusion, they’re likely to change most of the details of their story, the second time round. If your loved one, sticks to their original story, you may want to consider hiring a new carer. As you should never employ a carer, who you or your loved one, don’t trust.

If you’re unsure of whether your loved one is telling the truth or is being affected by confusion or a paranoid delusion, simply refer back to this handy article to get a better understanding of what’s going on.