I am very concerned about my mother who is a diagnosed schizophrenic. She
has what must be a delusion about people/strangers coming into her home and
stealing things she's had this for about 8 years but only mentioned it
occasionally. It's now getting more frequent that whenever she cannot find
something she is sure it's been taken by someone coming into her home. She
is positive she knows where everything is in her home but she is very
disorganised about where she keeps stuff - although to her there is
absolutely nothing wrong with her.

She has a friend called Graham and she suspects its people associated with
him who is "doing this" to her as she has heard him blabbering his mouth off
to strangers about her, she thinks that someone has taken him up on his info
and is now coming into her home. About 10 years ago she was in for an
operation in Hospital and as she was being wheeled into theatre heard one of
the porters say "we've got your money" she is sure that they were talking
about her money (what little of it there was) and although nothing was
taken, she suspects that maybe the people coming into her home are something
to do with these people.

This fella Graham used to go into Hospital a lot and used to talk to the
porters so she suspects that maybe he said something tempting to them and
they have taken him up on it. She also has a friend of about the same age
called Veronica and she too has the same delusion that people are coming
into her home so they get on the phone and talk about it, Veronica has
changed the locks on her doors many times, keeps a camera running in her
home and has called the police about it.

My mother is now considering changing her locks although she doesn't think
there is much point as these people can get master/skeleton keys to get into
any lock and she is also saying that she wants to stay in every night next
week with the light out to see if someone tries to come in. She says the
next time something is taken she will get the police she has said this
before and hasn't yet.

As far as her medication for schizophrenia is concerned she doesn't talk all
of it because it makes her dizzy so she misses the morning dose and just
takes it at night, therefore she is taking some medication but not all that
is prescribed because of the side effects.

I don't know what anyone can do for her. When I tried to challenge her about
the delusion she became frustrated that I don't believe her and lost her
temper.

I know she went to see her psychiatrist this week but I`m not sure if she is
being made aware of the extent of the problems. I think she has earlyish AD
but has not been officially diagnosed with it yet... she also reports that
she has problems with her short term memory.

I am now expecting her to die within 4-6 years of either end stage AD or
some other condition relating to the effects of AD that takes her away from
me. She is not that sick just yet as she is able to take care of herself its
just that she has this big delusion about people coming into her home and
stealing things + short term memory loss.