I thought, hummm-"very interesting" Sergeant Schultz–I’m having one of those hallucinations I lecture about! I kept looking and blinking harder and harder and I could still see them–so vivid, so real! And then when the door started warbling back and forth with thousands of ants on it, I thought, dang, I should have done drugs in the sixties like everyone else, then I would have probably been able to enjoy this more!

I find it so fascinating that as soon as I realized what was happening (that my mind was playing tricks because of the pain meds), I could relax and just enjoy the show. But oh, I can just imagine how confusing and frightening it would be not to understand that–and to be watching thousands of creepy-crawly bugs coming toward you, while being emphatically told they just aren’t really there! I swear, at first I would have bet a lot of money that they were!

Isn’t it interesting that the heart-wrenching experiences with my parents, and now a first-hand experience myself, have given me a much deeper understanding of hallucinations and delusions–and even more compassion for the victims, as well as for their heart-broken families.

Have you had to help loved ones cope with hallucinations or delusions? Tell us about it in the message boards.

You can learn more about Jacqueline and find information about her book at ElderRage.com.