Understanding Parkinson’s Disease Hallucinations and Delusions

This is a sponsored post in partnership with The Motherhood.

Do you care for someone with Parkinson’s disease?

When my grandpa first got diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, I don’t think we knew what we were in for with this disease. Yes, we were aware of symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease, like resting tremors and loss of balance. We were all ready to help him out but wow this disease is scary and even hard to handle sometimes, but there is help out there for care partners too. 

There is so much more to Parkinson’s disease that isn’t talked about much, and so we want to make sure our readers know the other symptoms like that hallucinations and delusions they might experience.  Please share this article and this website with your family and friends. 

Hallucinations and Delusions

Did you know that more than half of people living with Parkinson’s over the course of their disease will experience a lesser-known aspect of the disease—hallucinations, and delusions? This disease is scary for everyone, including care partners so the more information you have about what to look for and where to get help it will help everyone involved. 

• Hallucinations are seeing hearing or experiencing things that aren’t real! 
• Delusions are believing in things that aren’t true. 

My grandpa didn’t let us know he was experiencing hallucinations but after a while, we figured it with just talking to him.  It did seem to get worse as time went by but we didn’t know what to do or where to go for help.  His doctor said this was just part of having Parkinson’s, which was very concerning for us not knowing how to help him.

What To Look For:

• Seeing, hearing, or smelling things that are not there
• False beliefs
• Out of touch with reality
• Paranoid

If you see any of these signs, please don’t ignore it, over time these symptoms will get worse and harder to handle for both the care partner and family members.  My grandpa didn’t know what he was doing or even saying most of the time.  He thought he was fighting a war that hadn’t happen yet and he always thought people were stealing from him. This caused a lot of tension within the family.  We need to remember this is not their fault and we need to reach out for help.

Report Symptoms

People often don’t tell their Parkinson’s specialist about their symptoms, which can make them a challenge to diagnose. Possibly, people with Parkinson’s or their care partners are embarrassed by reporting hallucinations or delusions or do not realize they are part of the disease. My grandpa rarely told his physician what was happening so of course, my aunt made sure she went to all appointments with him to make sure everything was done.  

If you or someone you care for is experiencing these symptoms, you are not alone, and you may be able to get help. Talk to a Parkinson’s specialist to learn more about available treatment options, such as an FDA-approved medication indicated for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease.

Learn more about hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s at MoretoParkinsons.com.