My 87 year old mother has moderate dementia and has recently become paranoid as far as her medications go thinking her long term caregivers are poisoning her and thinking one of them is sleeping with her husband. I’ve read up on it and see that you’re supposed to validate their feelings but I’m not sure where to go from there without sounding like I believe her. Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with this? She has also become combative, pinching and scratching the caregivers. She has been checked for a UTI.
You don't ARGUE with people with dementia, because it does not good. So there is no back and forth. You simply tell them that this didn't happen to them, but that their thinking it did is a sort of realistic dream for them. Then leave it be if they go on and on. There is no "Yes he did" and "No he didn't". You can merely respond "I am sorry that you think that" and then deflect attention and move on. If thinking becomes obsessive there isn't a lot you can do.
She may require medication and evaluation by medical personnel if the pinching and etc keeps on.
But again, you do not validate wrong accusations.
And again, it is very common for there to be hallucinations and paranoid thinking.
And again, you cannot convince someone with paranoia of anything. That still doesn't mean you "validate" wrong accusations.
Just deflect and move on.
Watch a lot of Teepa Snow videos. It will be helpful.
Please contact her doctor.