We are a family of six that are caring for our 88 year old father with LBD. Our Mom passed away 8 years ago. Dad has been slowly deteriorating over the past year. The past few weeks have been a marked decline-up all night with halllucinations, living in the past, wanting to go "home". His primary has recently prescribed Ativan for his sleep-some nights it works. We all work full time and have families and are determined to keep Dad safely at home. Just looking for some suggestions for maybe a better sleep aide/hellp with the hallucinations and how to handle wanting to "go home" in the middle of some pretty wicked snow storms...Looking forward to being part of this forum..

You might post your message in Treatment Options or Behaviors so it can get more exposure. And I'd suggest you read the first page of posts in those two forum areas as well. There is a post on "wanting to go home" that you can certainly get some good ideas from.

Is your father on any meds for LBD? Normally hallucinations are addressed by dementia meds. If that doesn't work, then one resorts to other things. Ativan is an odd choice to help someone sleep. It's one of those medications that some with LBD can handle, and some cannot.

Please read Dr. Brad Boeve's "Continuum" paper on lbda.org so you can learn about proper treatment of hallucinations and sleep problems (Klonopin, trazadone, melatonin). And give this paper to any MD prescribing meds to your father. Can you find an LBD-savvy MD to take your father to see?

Good luck,
Robin

Daughter#3
Welcome to the forums, glad you found us and I am sure there are things here that you will find helpful along your path. I think it is wonderful that a family is caring for one person. What helped us with the Hallucinations was the Exelon at full dose, as to the wanting to go home sometimes just a change of a room helped but not always. As to the Ativan,I am not sure .It really depends on the person taking it many can't take it but some can, for sleep we used Trasadone, Good Luck and Please post as often as you like and it helps to find the area's that pertain to the question or comment, that way you will have more people looking with possible solution.
Good Luck!