Dad with dementia and has Capgras syndrome/ thinks mom is imposter

julieha

My Dad has been dx with demetia, Started in May where he did not recognize my mom despite being married for 56 yrs. Has bouts where he knows her and times where he doesn't. Neurology told us to look up imposter syndrome but thanks so the moderator, seems to fit with Capgras syndrome. just wondering if anyone has had experience with a family member with this that would have helpful suggestions to cope

thanks

mommyandme (m&m)

I wish you had some responses here.  I am not familiar with your specific issues so I don’t have much.  I hope someone will come along with some help soon.  Glad you came here to find support but sorry that you and yours are in this fight.  The Alzheimer’s hotline may be helpful.

24/7 HELPLINE800.272.3900

LaurenB

What type of dementia does your dad have a dx of?  Lewy body? Parkinson’s?

Family is forever

Julieha, my mother was diagnosed a few months ago after she went to dinner with my father for their anniversary, her husband of 54 years, and told me that she had no idea who she just went to dinner with. She was also scared about how "this man" knew her whole story. 

Since then, she has not recognized my father or me. We are "doubles" or "imposters" of her real husband and daughter and at times thinks that her "real" family has died or abandoned her. It is truly cruel that she has to experience this. 

We tell her constantly when she asks where they are that they had to work or had to run errands and that they love her very much. There is not a whole lot I can offer you except that I learned that the bathroom is a safe place to ball your eyes out so that you don't do it in front of your mother. I wish you and your family some peace and happiness. 

Ci2Ci

I have experience with this. It just started suddenly a couple months ago. Twice in public (bank; Walgreens) she told staff that she had been kidnapped. Police were called. Police spoke with her, spoke with me. Even the police showing her my driver's license (with her address on it) and my birth certificate (with her name on it), she was unconvinced.  In my case, within 15-20 mins, she had no recollection of the incident at all. 

Once, it occurred when we were sitting in our driveway; another while I was driving on the interstate. (She nearly caused me to wreck, trying to flee or disable me.)  The problem is, when Stranger-Danger occurs, you just can't help them. Can't comfort, feed, medicate someone who thinks you are trying to hurt them. ...No obvious pattern or trigger.

From the point of this dramatic decline, I noticed her having spatiotemporal issues -- not understanding that 2 instances in _time_ aren't two different _things_. For example, she recalls a daughter who lived in Los Angeles and one that lived in Atanta. She thinks she has 2 daughters. I could actually leave her room and come back in a few minutes later (no change to appearance) and she thought those were two different people -- e.g., one who gave her her meds, and a different one who cleaned the room. 

After this sudden change, she stopped recognizing me by name or association. I'd try to use this to my advantage. Once when I returned to her room and she started to complain about [the other] me, I said "Well, I'll get you out of here." Can't rely on that tactic working. When they get disruptive/destructive/dangerous in their attempts to flee the imposter, it is a crisis. No doubt it is triggered by the real person not meeting their expectation (e.g., age) of their recalled memory. Suppose family is a trigger because there are so many memories of them. 

Prior to this, during a slower progression, she always got my name correct, but would have 'blips' where she'd mix me up with her sister. I could correct her (which we both preferred) and she'd accept the correction.

She is now 3 weeks in geriatric psych. ward, completely disoriented to where she is -- even what kind of a place. So, I don't know why it came on so suddenly or if it is her new normal. Psych. has put her on scheduled atypical anti-psychotics (Olanzapine). It might be helping her agitation, I really don't know. It has made _no_ change with her disorientation. Since visitation is only 30 mins. per day, I can't observe her long enough to see whether anything is helping. (Unfortunately, Psych put her on 4 new drugs at the same time! So, hard to know what is or isn't working, in general. Very upset about this, but pretty helpless to do anything about it.)