What to do about my mother's wild accusations?

Your mom's delusions aren't age induced, they're dementia induced. Accusatory delusions are very common. With so many accusations, I know you want to separate fact from fiction ( I can almost assure you that is all fiction). If placing a camera in her room would make you feel more comfortable and help you see what is truth and what is not, ask the director about doing that. I never did but there are people in this forum that have and can speak to it. I always thought doing that would mean you don't trust the staff, and if that's the case, maybe a relocation is in store. Trust is your only option when you can no longer be with your parents, especially during this pandemic.

Addressing her delusions can be an exercise in futility unless you try to validate her concerns by learning how to fit into her world. We're no longer talking about honesty and truthfulness, we're now talking about properly responding to her worries so she feels understood. So don't ignore what she believes. You might tell her that you'll talk to the staff about them mistreating her. As for her perception that a caregiver is having an affair with your dad, you could validate her by saying something like “that caregiver has been fired.” Coming up with the responses to satisfy your mom's fears is not easy not is it intuitive. It takes practice.

It is wonderful that your dad has acclimated so well. It sounds like he is happy in his new home.

Has your mother been diagnosed with dementia? Because that’s what these delusions sound like.

Your mother has cognitive decline which is also known as dementia. Shes weaving wild stories which are obviously untrue and delusional, but if you feel there's a shred of truth in what she's saying, by all means install cameras to put your mind at ease. Because I guarantee you she'll be saying the same things at the next MC you send her to. It's the nature of the beast. Contact her doctor for calming medication, that's my suggestion, she sounds highly agitated which is also common with dementia. Check with the executive director to make sure cameras are permissible in the facility and go from there. I'm sure you are not the first to make such a request!

Good luck!

No, I don't think you should worry, and your mom's caregivers have seen and heard it all. She's OK, and she'll acclimate eventually.

Here's a thought, though -- when I moved my mom into her nursing home, and any time she goes somewhere like the hospital, I send along a two-page biography I wrote about her life. I ask the staff to take the time to read it, and it helps them get to know my mom when she can't really help them herself. It was the starting point for conversations, such as "Tell me what it was like growing up in the desert?" or "Can you say the 'Och Tamale' [her college school cheer] for me?"

I've also put in little details of her reality these days, like the fact that my mom has an imaginary husband named Dan, and while yes, he was a real person -- her first boyfriend -- he was not in fact her husband. I've put in Dan's profession (telephone lineman and private pilot to the Kennedy family!), and I even brought in her high school yearbook with the real Dan's picture. I also brought in pictures of her and her real husband, my dad, to whom she was married for 66 years.

Everyone I've given this biography to has been so happy to be able to get to know my mom as she was as well as how she is. I even gave it to the hospice company, and her hospice nurse knows as much about her in the month she's known her as others who have cared for her for years.

Consider doing that for both your parents, and ask the staff to have some conversations with your mom using her fact sheet as a springboard. It might make her feel more like she's among friends and help her acclimate better. Right now she's afraid because her protector -- your dad -- isn't always around.

Ignore her claims... but you may talk to her doctor about prescribing something to ease her anxiety. It sounds as though she is very stressed and her behavior likely will continue to worsen.

My mother suffered from Lewy Body Dementia and her accusations about the staff were almost exactly the same as your mother's.
Her carers were great with her but my worry was that it was hard to like her and that that might result in her being treated badly when I wasn't there.
We considered a camera at one point - just in case! However we didn't do that because not only did the accusations become wilder - including people who weren't there but my mother's frail body was free of any signs of rough handling and the staff did not seem to be acting any differently whether people were visiting or not. There was a kind of open transparency about the place.
It didn't stop me worrying but my rational evaluation was always satisfied - after consideration. I used to pop in at unexpected times and nothing seemed amiss.
It is so much more difficult during covid. I hope you manage to settle your worries soon. Good luck. x

There is no reason to move someone who is delusional as will have the EXACT same delusions in another MC. Surely since you know she is fabricating these stories, moving won’t make a bit of difference. This is the time sadly where you have to grow a very thick skin. You can use therapeutic fibs and say you are looking into it and then drop it. Do not argue with her about these delusions as that will make it worse.
be sure you do discuss her behavior with her doctor as perhaps he or she might have something helpful she can take. Depakote or Tegretol helped my dad when he became delusional and at times even combative. But you are sadly dealing with dementia.

I’d say - nanny cam just for your own peace of mind. The staff will be fine if you discuss it with them first. Let them know that you are aware that mum has these delusions that are normal for her condition, that you don’t think they’re true but that they are making you anxious. You don’t even have to watch the footage, it may help you just to know it’s there.
It must be quite lonely for mum now dad’s getting out and about more. I’d talk to the staff about this too - see if they can get her out to socialise with other residents so she’s not so reliant on dad. It will give her other things to do and think about. It does feel to me like there’s some social isolation involved in the paranoia and delusions. My mum’s tendency towards this is getting worse the longer she is unable to get out due to COVID risk. I love the ideas about the biographies and memory books. I agree not to move them unless absolutely necessary - the more change that’s introduced to their lives, the more they will struggle with their conditions - consistency and routine are comforting for dementia.
I hope you find a good solution and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.

My mother's delusions were quite disturbing to me - I recognized them for what they were, but it was heartbreaking to hear her wild stories, because I knew that my Mama was indeed slipping away from me. It was only when they turned into personal accusations that I experienced true horror. Fortunately, the ones like that were few and far between.

On analyzing her delusions, I deduced that many of them stemmed from her subconscious, and sprang from a combination of bad experiences, preconceived notions, personal ideologies and many disappointments that had occurred throughout her lifetime - a mixed bag of highly emotional things, many of which were magnified in her poor tired brain, and manifested themselves in delusional stories.

Thinking about your mother's past life and personality may help with understanding what's going on. By all means, practice due diligence in determining if any of her delusions have any basis in fact, but proceed with caution and practicality.

You may also want to have her checked for a UTI-whenever my MIL’s delusions like that ramped up is when she had had a UTI. They don’t present the same in elders. She would associate pain in her nether regions with being raped. One time she also had extreme constipation and impaction and went on a huge rant about being raped. After that was all clear-the accusations went away. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ Any time she she would start back up with “they’re trying to kill me” or “they’re poisoning me” we’d always check for UTI and that was usually the case!
Another thing it could be is “hospital delirium” even though it’s not a hospital. They also refer to it as “new facility” delirium. They are so out of their normal place and routine they have a break with reality and their broken brains construct things to explain what’s going on. It sometimes resolves and sometimes stays. 🤦🏼‍♀️

I care for my 84 yr old mother . She has dementia and makes up stuff all the time. Says people are around that have passed away. She spoke to people who passed away. She is going to do this or that. She is bed ridden her knees are so bad. She refuses to get out of bed. Even tho her arms work she refuses to feed herself so we sit and feed her. Watch movies w her. She usually doesn’t even understand what’s going on in the movie. It’s very difficult but we love her and do our best w her. I would do a nanny cam for peace of mind. But I guarantee what she is saying is not true.

There are a couple of causes for delusions which are altered thought processes: infections (UTIs being a primary one for women who are incontinent), blood chemistry imbalances, strokes or other insults to the brain, poor oxygenation, poor eating that leads to blood glucose problems... Since most seniors (75% of those 75 years old and more as get older) have Alzheimer's disease to some degree, consider whether your mother may be reliving trauma from an earlier time in her life or misinterpreting baths and toileting help as sexual assault. It might be a good idea to have the doctor examine her for the usual physical causes as well as evidence of sexual assault (just to ease your mind and clear staff of wrong-doing).Consider that she is anxious and frustrated being in her current situation and may do better with a mild anti-anxiety medication.

Delusions and wild accusations are common with dementia sufferers. Maybe your mom is going through that .
The amount of people my grandmother claims to be in her room ,you'd think she was running a bus depot .

That said , If you can ( this is rough but it must be done ) , next visit check her for bruising and any abrasions on her inner thigh, inner knee or inner arms . Anywhere someone might grasp to restrain a person , to see if excessive force is being used but keep in mind that the elderly can often knock themselves about and forget how . The key is any bruising in odd areas that she couldn't just knock on a table or doorway .
Ask her questions about the assault , see if her story is consistent or if she says anything that might lead you to believe there is truth in what she says .
Why is her mind bringing up rape ? She might , sadly , be reliving a distant past event so get in there and ask , don't be afraid .
My grandmother used to tell me there was a fire in her room quite often and I'd race in there , heart pumping until I remembered that she DID have a fire in her room , in the other house , ten years ago .
I still check when she says that though , because one day , there might be an actual fire ...so...
See what she repeats , see if any names come up consistently, get details . It might all be in her mind but what if it isn't?

This is a tough one , but , you can also have a doctor of your choosing give her a vaginal examination the next time she makes a serious claim of being assaulted . Sexual assault sometimes leaves evidence that cannot be denied. Sadly , people who suffer from dementia and Alzheimer's are often easy targets for predators because no one believes them .

Also , check out what MJ1929 said .
Key words from a dementia sufferers past are often essential in calming them down and making them feel less confused and safe .
You can perhaps try that first and see if the instances of her unrest are lessened as a result .

If it would put your mind at rest install a nanny cam ( camera hidden in a teddy bear ) if this is a legal option mind you , or a simple set up that everyone knows about that you can check at any time on your phone or computer . Keep it to review and go from there .

This is some dark and depressing advice, I know . My grandmother tells me all kinds of crazy things but I can dismiss them as dreams in her mind and reassure her with confidence because I'm with her ALL the time and so I KNOW fact from fiction.
You do not , so it's time to find out.

Good luck , and I hope it's not as she says .

L

She could BE being raped. The brother she mentions could BE explained by her choice of words or who she understood it to be. They often humor a patient like your mom, so if she asked, Is that your brother, about an orderly, and he later raped her, what's she supposed to call him?

Don't believe everybody because they wear a uniform or because they do nursing. Morals come from the heart, not from the education for a profession.

My mother also made some very wild claims. Including she was being “sexed” by lesbians, and thrown up against the wall every night. Her food was poisoned, her items were stolen and on and on. Bottom line she didn’t want to stay there and that was her way of rebelling. She has been in three different facilities and the claims were all the same. When she left the facilities all I heard was how wonderful everyone was. She was smart enough to change her stories depending upon her audience too. I got calls from her friends asking me clarify what happened because my mother told one person she was mugged in town, and the town was very dangerous and there were gun fights at night so she needed to move. Another person she told she went out shopping on the bus and they refused to take her home and spit on her and left her at the mall and a kind stranger took her home. In the middle of Covid when they were locked down! She never leaves the facility! She has made ongoing accusations that I stole all her money and put a gun to her head and forced her to move. She was also starting to swat and curse at the staff. It’s very disturbing and it would be easy for me to say don’t take it personally, but given my mother’s history I actually do take it personally. I deal by having limited contact.

I worked with her hospice nurse and PCP on medication management. They were able to get her behavior under better control and she is calmer. She is still delusional, but in a more pleasant way if that makes sense. Like she keeps asking for her husband Fred. She was never married to a Fred. And she thinks she works there. She’s able to be easily redirected now.

As far as the staff goes - this is something they should know how to manage. This type of behavior is not uncommon, and MC staff should have specialized training in managing this behavior. Worry less about whether they like her, I can assure you that your mother isn’t the only difficult resident, and worry more about getting her evaluated and treated so she can settle into her new environment and routine. The good news is that your father is getting a break and adjusting well.

I was injured as a teenager. I was placed in a rehab unit called Warm Springs, in Gonzales, Texas. When the day shift left, we were at the mercy of the ward orderly. We were treated criminally. Left in our beds full of pee. I didn't problem so the orderly adjusted the bed bag so if I even rolled to the other side in my sleep, it would come off. It did. He was ready. He said, Oh, you messed up my nice clean sheets. I told you not to do that! Now you have to just lay in it the whole night. I can't keep changing the sheets for you.

If I could locate him today, what a gift. The state came in, after I and my family notified authorities. They never asked me that I know of, though we were tortured in many ways. There was no class action lawsuit. The rehab was so fake. Oh it was real rehab, but when you made progress, they stopped you and said that's too much. I was formerly a self defense instructor bench pressing 300 lbs. You want to know this. They assessed me that I needed to build up my arm strength. My arm strength. I remember the day I got up and went the whole hallway, and I said, Let's go all the way to my room now, and he said, No, that's too far. You'll never make it. I wasn't even tired. Then he said, That will take half a year. Let's just go one step at a time. They put me on exercise machines that don't measure weight, so the machine that's like bike pedals, and you rotate them for ten minutes. I was one of the biggest and strongest guys in my school. I won trophies all over Texas. All I wanted was out of there once I realized we were their money tree. And they insisted on drugs for us, even though we were fine. And what they gave me caused nightmares, so I began spitting it out after they left. They were checking us for that. Once I left, I improved much better, went on to Mountainview Jr College in Dallas and SAC in SATX, etc. I didn't have anybody holding me back like them. The state shut them down. All the captives were freed. We were captives. People that were real tiny, had been in chairs their whole life, cripples, paras and quads, kids that could only communicate by blinking.

Look. You owe it to your parents to find out the truth. Nobody deserves to be judged as insane in your situation. I caught them abusing my mother when they forced her to change clothes and they grabbed her hand and pinched it and I heard her cry out. It was 3 to 1, and then they stained me by calling me a pervert, and claimed to have a video about me ... at Buena Vida in San Antonio. They didn't produce one, they just claimed in a series of hearsay statements to the SAPD that they had one. It's never shown up. I was warned not to make trouble. I had all the facts of what they did to mom. I had the videos, the photos, the medical records. It didn't matter. They dogpiled on the rabbit and banned me. I hate them forever. I will never let it rest.

If anybody here knows anything about Buena Vida, I will do my best to make it worth your while.

It is very common for elderly people with dementia to become paranoid. I work in senior living and see this all the time. Staff members often become the "target" of this paranoia. Definitely look into your mother's claims but honestly they are probably not true. Dementia and Alzheimer disease are heartbreaking to family as well as the person with the disease. This behavior could be rebellion too (passive aggressive) because the person wanted to stay home and is angry with their family and their circumstances. They are longer in control of their life and this understandably causes great frustration.

My M-I-L was in an AL and had dementia. She became very suspicious of everyone around her including her son and I. When we went to visit her she would watch us intently to make sure we weren't stealing from her. She would tell staff that we were always taking her things. She would look out her windows and make up stories about things she was "seeing" in people's houses across the street. She would get up in middle of night and pack her suitcase telling staff her son was picking her up. She also had frequent UTIs which added to her confusion.

From what you say the MC is a very good one. Again definitely check into mom's claim to be certain there is no abuse taking place. For you sake as well as your parents please don't move them if you are satisfied mom's claims are not true.

Check it out please, do not disregard her statements of abuse by workers as untrue. Because she may be more difficult to care for than your father, she may be getting the short end of the treatment stick. Yes you can place cameras in her room to see if her fears are real and to assure yourself what's really going on. Talk to the folks in charge to address the concerns voiced. You may be surprised!

I do not trust nursing homes. that is why lawyers say visit your loved one frequently and everyday. I remember years back when I worked for department of corrections, some nursing homes hired criminals on house arrest--even sex offenders, and let me assure you nursing homes are NOT safe due to large patient to single nurse ratios, and one CNA for an entire hall.

Read this report by CBS News.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/over-90-percent-of-nursing-homes-hire-criminals/#:~:text=By%20CBS%20News%20investigative%20producer,report%20obtained%20by%20CBS%20News.

I am so thankful I never put my mom in one of those, but I had to sacrifice my life and well being to care for her for years and years..but I love my mom so I did not mind it. She died over a year ago and I'm still hurting badly she's gone but everybody dies and she is in a better place. Still, I'm thankful with mom's insulin-dependent diabetes, liver and kidney diseases she made it to age 90, never had any kind of psychotropics or narcotics, and died in absolute peace in her own home. Further, mom's skin was in great condition without a single sore on her. Irony I been battling Alzheimer's for 15 years it was kidney and liver disease that killed her so she could have been a walkie-talkie self caring person the same would have happened to her and that too is comforting for me. She also was only bedridden for 2-1/2 months because I struggled very hard to keep her moving, and walked her every single day for 5 years for a quarter of a mile. That helped her behavior more than anything. No psychotropic or narcotic drugs every needed! With 2 years of hospice, I just used them like a home clinic to order her insulin, lopressor, and lactulose for her bowels, and even routine labs, and they supplied me with just about everything I needed and I took care of her.

So God killed mom, and I have no control over that. Even doctors told me "you REALLY take good care of your mom"--yeah she was the only thing in this life that ever mattered to me.

OMG your story sounds sooooo familiar to mine.  When mom was first diagnosed with dementia, she still lived in her home.  I was going there and maintaining everything, but she lived alone.  She would call me with wild stories of kids shining lights in her bedroom windows at night and she was terrified and not sleeping because of it. And that they were stealing her mail out of her mailbox and cutting through her backyard...etc.  She told me she let a man into her home and he gave her a pill and next thing she knew she woke up in her bed.  I was going insane with all of these alarming phone calls.  My daughter stayed the weekend with her to see if anything was going on and things were fine.  It was all in moms head.  When I finally moved her into assisted living, the storied continued.  They didn't like her and were stealing her things and having parties in her apartment when she was not there.  She would tell stories of the staff marrying residents and stealing their money.  They were jealous of her, etc... She was telling people I was dying from cancer.  Basically, if she watched several lifetime movies, we are all in it! LOL   It's embarrassing and I know if my mom were in her right mind she would be mortified.  We did talk to her doctor and they modified her medication and that seems to help with the paranoia.  Today if she starts in on a crazy rant, I drastically divert the conversation in another direction and ask her a question that she has to think about.  That usually does the trick.

I am in no way suggesting that you stop paying attention to your mom.  You must make sure that she has what she needs and it taken care of appropriately. 
You mentioned cameras in her apartment.  My mom befriended a man and he was always telling his son that his things were getting stolen, so the son installed cameras and all they showed was his dad hiding his own things.
It is so hard in the beginning because this person that you have known your entire life is telling you something and your first instinct is to believe it.  The sad part is realizing they are not mentally who they once were. 

Many posters have talked about abuse happening to their family member.  I know that it happens and if the cameras would make you feel better, I say go for it.

I am glad your dad has a way to safely move about and visit others.

I put a camera in my mothers room at a care center no one knew about it but me it was in a artificial plant by her bed. Get a small ring camera you can bring it up
on your ph any where. Or you can get a tiny actual surveillance camera the size of a coin. It’s always better to know for sure if anything is going on. Better safe than sorry 😞

My mother has Alzheimer's and lives with me. For some reason she thinks she is in a facility and that I am part of the staff. She is always telling me to be quiet so I don't wake everybody up. She goes down to the kitchen and says, "Where is everybody?" She is constantly saying that people are stealing her things. I find her purse and framed photos under her pillow. If she feels tired she says that someone gave her a pill to drug her up. She has a baby doll that she thinks is a real baby. She talks to it and kisses it. So indeed, you really can't believe much of what they say. I have cameras in every room. I can see and hear everything when the nurse aids come during the day. If I eventually have to place her in a facility, I will definitely put hidden cameras in her room and visit everyday. Good luck to you.

This is a great answer! Yes, validating her feelings and accusations actually does help--rather than saying oh you don't know what you're talking about... They need to feel that they are understood. My mother relaxes when I say, "I understand what you're going through."

IF the facility allows cameras and IF it would assuage your concerns, then it wouldn't hurt to install one.

As others have noted, this is very common behavior with dementia. If the changes were sudden, then it could be some kind of infection or imbalance, so the quickest, easiest tests could be done first - test for UTI and blood work to rule out another infection (WBC would be up) or an imbalance. If nothing is amiss, it might take medication to calm her. I'm not a big fan of medication, but if there was something that could take the "edge" off but not leave her doped up, I would consider it.

When my mother was still living alone, there were some accusations of things being stolen. This was before it became apparent that dementia was at play. They were some of the most mundane ridiculous items (tweezers, really?) that I either ignored or dismissed. It was only in retrospect, after learning about dementia, that these made any sense. Hiding items, forgetting this was done and/or where the items were put results in accusing others of stealing.

The only odd behavior changes noted with mom was after we had some cameras installed. Her "version" of sun-downing was OCD behavior just before going to bed. This started slowly and built up to a nightly marathon of checking over and over, up to 1.5 hours, the door lock, sidelights, dishwasher and LR (no camera in that area, but the pass-through opening allowed light to shine on the kitchen cabinets. no idea what she was "checking" in there!) She would sometimes "sneak up" on the sidelights, like she expected to see zombies or something out there. Another time she stopped mid-check and stood looking up at the top of the door. Who knows what she saw there?

Her first UTI at MC resulted in some serious sun-downing. She had guests coming. She had to get out and go home. She set off every door alarm trying to get out!

So, if these were recent changes (or even not), check for UTI and have blood work done. If those rule out any issues, most likely this is dementia induced. Different kinds of dementia result in different kinds of behavioral issues. The type of dementia would drive what kind of medications might help. For mom, the mildest dose of anti-anxiety along with antibiotic was used to clear up the UTI. Once resolved, she didn't need the anti-anxiety meds anymore. Subsequent UTIs showed up as night-time bed wetting.

Worrying that her behavior might make staff treat her differently is a concern, but while visits were allowed before the virus, mom's place had residents who were all over the spectrum. Thankfully, for the most part, mom was like your dad and staff really enjoyed having her there. I would visit at random times, and observed how they would deal with residents like your mother. A few times a resident who recently moved in would confront me, with anger about who knows what! I don't know if I reminded her of someone or if she just did this to whoever!

It would be better to try to get the behavior understood and under control before considering a move. If, most likely, these are dementia induced hallucinations, she'll have the same problem no matter where she resides, even in your own home (several comments mention this - they experienced similar issues and accusations from their own parent!) Also, any moves can result in even more delusions. Try to avoid moving her, if you can.

yes, i would put a camera in the room 100% especially that your mom is a strong willed person. That is the only way you can prove to yourself that this is true or not. Imagine if you don't like your mom what another person will do or say.
I've seen caregivers call my mom b@#th on camera and they know they are on camera. it is a very hard job so if you get that type of person - she may or may not be telling the truth. We use the RING camera - there are many types and easy to install - some just stand on a shelf - I hope she is not getting mishandled but a camera may provide answers. Good luck.

I would add a camera to protect the staff as well, your mother sounds like mine. Classic victim control, there are videos on you tube about it.

I know from experience how difficult it is to hear wild accusations from our loved ones with dementia. When my Mom lived with us and she made so many accusations, we could say with certainty they were false accusations because my husband and I were the only other people in the house. However, when your loved one is in a facility, I believe you should follow up to ensure your Mom's concerns are not in fact happening. While in a hospice facility, my Mom said she was robbed. Sure enough, things were taken from her that I have been unable to find to this day. A nurse on that day had given my Mom so much Ativan, that she slept for two days. This same nurse told me to go home and get some rest and "don't come back" today. I did go back, though, and things my Mom had in her bag, weren't there. So, despite dementia, some things the person says could be true. That's my experience, anyway, and it hurts to this day that I couldn't protect my Mom from the theft. My Mom has since passed away. Good luck to you. Hug and comfort your Mom. The memory of your kindness to her will help you when she passes.

By all means go for the cameras, but be open about it and clear it with the DON - the main ethical issue is your mother's privacy and dignity rather than any fear of discovering nefarious activities on the part of the staff.

Speaking for myself I welcome the presence of monitors and cameras, and even sometimes wish we were all required to wear bodycams: I have just come from a client who directly addressed her (absent) brother in law and seemed very surprised when I queried this, first looking carefully around the room to check that there wasn't someone behind me whom I just hadn't noticed (nope. Definitely no BIL there, working on his laptop or otherwise...). During the call this lady went on to "resume" with me a conversation that we hadn't actually had, and although she knew her postal address she was unable to accept that this was where we both were at the time and repeatedly stated that she would do x, y and z when she got "home." I would not be at all surprised if this client made a complaint about me or any of my co-workers and I am sure that the client herself would be certain that what she said was true; but here's the thing, that even though this unfortunate lady may not be the person we are most overjoyed to see on our call list, we have all of us bent over backwards to reassure her and to protect her wellbeing. Sadly, what we are able to do for her is extremely limited.

I can imagine that in facilities with poor leadership, poor support for overstretched staff, poor training or any of the other things that can and do go wrong, residents are sometimes spoken to or even handled in a way that falls far short of acceptable standards. It may have happened. The question should be asked. But whatever you are able to find out, do not expect your mother herself to be convinced by objective evidence and so don't install cameras in order to reassure her because they won't. They're only about added peace of mind for you.

I am sure that the caregivers all hear outlandish stories and attribute to the mental issues.  glad to hear your dad is doing better but the issues still remains. I know some people say you can put up a small camera but make sure it is hidden so know one at the facility knows about it.  Not sure how that would work and what happens if someone finds it....not sure if they can make things rough for you due to legal issues of privacy.  It just sounds like she is "spinning" stories in her mind but it will soon pass as the mental issue increases in severity.  Unless you see bruises, cuts, scratches, etc (and not have been notified of such), then I wouldn't worry. but this is just my opinion.  wishing you luck.

RichCapableSon--I'm sorry you went through all this, but glad you managed to get away and reclaim your life.

I agree that a camera would be helpful if allowed--it would show whether it is "all in the mother's head" or if the staff is behaving improperly. Thus, it would be to the benefit of both sides. If the staff is at fault, the presence of the camera might provide an incentive to improve.

Yes, do what you need to do to deal with Buena Vida, but be careful not to allow hate to rule your life--you want to keep others from having the same experience you did, and provide justice for those who have.