Should you tell a dementia patient that what they think really happened did not

eileen1111

my mother is in early to mid stage of dementia from vascular changes and Alzheimer’s disease. She is either hallucinating things or dreaming g them and then insisting that they really happened. She then gets very anxious and angry about what she thinks happened Should we tell her that these things did not occur? How do we help her with her anger and anxiety. Sometimes her anger is directed at specific people because she thinks they have done or said things that they have not.

SusanB-dil

Hi eileen - Best is to never argue. Instead of saying 'that didn't happen', you could say 'Oh, my, we can certainly look into that'.

If she is particularly agitated (MIL has vasc and alz), you should let her doc know, as there could be a meds adjustment needed that can calm that down without being zombied.

H1235

I will attach a link to a similar discussion in caring for a parent. SusanB-dil has given great advice. I also attached a link about confabulation. I’m sure there is a lot more great information out there if you do a search. You-tube also has some great information on dementia. I like care blazers.

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/77009/moms-confusion-and-heartache#latest

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/confabulation-dementia#signs