Follow
Share

Help, I'm going batty. My elderly mum talks from the moment she wakes to the moment she finally falls asleep. On the very occasion she is not talking 'at me', she is whistling, humming, jigging her foot, making weird mouth sounds, or teeth sounds etc. She also starts giggling for no apparrent reason. If I diplomatically question why all this, she just laughs. Might stop for two mins, then carries on. She talks too when eating, and often chokes because she is trying to eat/talk at the same time. If I diplomatically tell her to swallow her food and talk when she's finished eating, she gets cross and carries on. Two of my siblings she does not do this behaviour around but she does it incessantly with my sister and I, which leads me to believe she has an awareness of the behaviours. She talks incessantly to all of us tho and never gets exhausted. She even talks in her sleep and fidgets, shouts out,whimpers etc. Are there any health conditions that cause these behaviours? Are they normal in old age or just a mixture of loneliness/attention seeking? I am being driven mad by it and my poor brain gets no downtime to unwind from it all. The only time I get any peace is when I go to sleep and shove swimmers earplugs into my ears. Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanku

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Find Care & Housing
Her brain is damaged, there is no "normal." Perhaps daycare or placement will give you the peace and quiet you seek: you can't make her better, but you can make yourself better.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

My mother does a version on this. If I take her anywhere we will "get clear of town" ie a crowded congested interstate with traffic everywhere. The the talking starts If I have directions (cause she will talk louder than the navigation system) I will say things like "I need to make sure we are in the right part of town" She will make a few comments, get calm and then in about 3 minutes she will start again. This is non stop till we get to where we are going. If out plans included lunch she does not do this when we are eating. It's about nothing and she will ask the same questions over and over again. I have no idea what causes this.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

She may or may not be aware of the behavior BUT she may be more comfortable around you and your sister so she "chatters".
My Husband had been pretty much non verbal the last 6 years of his life, a word once in a great while but no conversation, and he made noises. LOTS of noises. Sometimes so loud that if I was on the phone others could hear him. I think it was his way of joining in on the conversation and or he did not want to feel left out or that I was ignoring him.
Headphones, earbuds and other things will help. A word of caution though..if you use something to block the noise make sure that if something happens that you will be able to hear her if necessary.
One of the thoughts that I kept in my mind was this....
yes the noise sometimes drives me batty now BUT there will come a time when he will be silenced and I will truly miss the noises.
The time came and I do miss the noises, not as much now but in the months after his death the quiet drove me as batty as the noise once did.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

Why? Because they are old and their brains aren't functioning normally. My grandmother talked non-stop for years, even through the night. I wondered how she did it in her sleep. Mom doesn't talk but makes a noise pretty constantly.

I tried earplugs when I slept but then I couldn't hear when they got out of bed and wandered around the house. So I stopped. You get used to it eventually.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter