[TyrannosaurusRekt]

Please help me explain what my grandmother has.

Ever since she developped Alzheimer's, she has symptoms of Schizophrenia, but I'm not quite sure if she has something else or not.
I have bipolar myself (self diagnosed, type II rapid cycling).

Symptoms before her Alzheimer's:
Very anxious, but no social anxiety. She knew a lot of people and every time you saw here on the street, she was talking to someone. But she had, what I believe general anxiety. She was afraid of changes. I remember once that we bought her some tea. It was the same flavor that she always uses, but the package was different. She didn't even look at it and responded in an anxious way. She is also very afraid about things that could go wrong. For example, she is very afraid of things that she thought could explode or things that harm her. She unplugs all the electric devices when there is a thunderstorm.
While she was very social with people, she never wanted to go to social gatherings. According to her, these events were just another cost. But I think this is an excuse and I believe that she feels like it's an obligation (which I know people with bipolar don't like). Besides going for groceries, she never goes outside.
She used to smoke when she was young, but was able to quit for a long period. Recently she started smoking again, while having a serious degenerative lung disease.
She is also a prediabetic.

Symptoms right now:
She has Alzheimer's for some time now. Only recently (about a year or so), she has 'odd' symptoms.
Her anxiety has increased. Now she closes her curtains very early, even when there is sufficient light outside. When there is a thunderstorm, she believes that the curtains will defend against possible incoming lightning. She puts one side of the curtains in a closet and she uses pins for the other side to make sure that no lightning can enter the room.
She lives in an appartment on the first floor. Her first hallucinations were black animals on the roof that she looks upon. When asked if it are birds, she answers that it are "long black animals".
Later she said that people were watching her from the other side of the road. One time there was a guy with green eyes.
Her neighbors on the other side are constantly having an argument, even if there is no one in the room. When you say that there is nothing to see, she says that they are suddenly gone.
She once saw myself and my sister, which wasn't possible because my sister was on vacation and I was out of town.
The clouds are very interesting to her as they represent certain objects.
One time there were fish on the rooftops. Then she wondered how that is possible, because fish can't jump.
Recently she saw a man laughing at her. She even demonstrated how he opened his mouth.
One day she saw cyclists in the air and also a cyclist with a child where some trees are located.
She has delusions and thinks she has done a lot of work, while the whole appartment is kind of dirty. She also claims to have eaten recently while there are no dishes on the sink.

The one thing that is odd is the fact that, while she sees a lot of things outside, there is nothing happening inside. As far as I know, she has no auditory hallucinations.

I know hallucinations can occur as part of psychosis, but she doesn't lose contact with reality.
She could have schizoaffective disorder?
She doesn't have auditory hallucinations. Is that common?
I know that people with Alzheimer's can have schizophrenic symptoms. Are these symptoms normal?

Thanks.

[Skeezyks]

Hello TyrannosaurusRekt: Welcome to PsychCentral! PC is a great place to gain support as well as information related to mental health concerns. There are many caring members here.

I don't know allot about Alzheimer's disease. (Although I am, myself, a senior citizen.) So I can't comment with regard to what your grandmother is experiencing. Really, this is a job for a professional in the geriatric field... someone who has training & experience working with elderly people who are experiencing mental disturbances. From my perspective, it would be inappropriate for us, here on PC, to speculate with regard to what's going on with your grandmother. One thing I do know is that Alzheimer's is a devastating illness. So, it would be my guess, that what your grandmother is experiencing may all be attributable to that. However, this is just a guess on my part. My spouse's mother developed dementia late in life. She lost all of her memory. She didn't even recognize us. But she never experienced the kinds of things you describe.

My best wishes to you...