Those who’ve experienced hallucinations can attest to their confusing and frightening qualities, and while not every hallucination necessarily evokes feelings of fear, many of have the potential to cause your loved one extreme distress or provoke him or her to engage in risky behavior. As such, you’ll want to make sure you have a plan for managing your loved one’s emotional states should he or she begin hallucinating.
Individuals who have hallucinations may experience both visual and auditory sensations that cannot be sensed or experienced by others. These individuals may confuse dimly lit shapes for faces, people, or other objects that are not actually there. They may also confuse noises for the voices of their friends, or even imagine that shadows are holes in the ground. That said, though, not every hallucination may cause your loved one distress. Accordingly, you’ll want to pay close attention to your loved one’s body language—as well as other queues—or anything that may suggest the extent to which you need to get involved. For instance, if your loved one simply imagines that he or she hears a bird, and the sound of the bird fills your loved one with joy and contentment, then you may want to reconsider disrupting your loved one’s fantasy. If, on the other hand, your loved one hears a voice that’s telling him or her to do something dangerous, then you’ll definitely want to step-in so you can prevent a potential disaster.
If you have concerns that your loved one’s hallucinations may lead to him or her doing something dangerous, then you should consult his or her physician immediately. Likewise, if your loved one has already behaved in such a way that has threatened another’s safety or even caused injury, then you should contact a qualified Ohio elder law attorney as soon as possible.
