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My mom will often talk about all the ladies in the house and there is no one here but me and my husband in the evening. Or she will talk about the other Cherri and what she did. Everything she talks about someone else doing or saying is always about something I have done or said. And on any given day she does not know me as her Cherri but when relating something from the day before remembers it as being me.

June 8, 2016
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Answer Summary

Members connected over the shared experience of loved ones with dementia not recognizing them or perceiving multiple versions of the same... Read more

Members connected over the shared experience of loved ones with dementia not recognizing them or perceiving multiple versions of the same person, with many describing being mistaken for a sister, mother, or even a different gender, while others shared that their loved ones see imaginary people in the house or believe TV personalities are real visitors. Several members offered practical guidance, emphasizing the importance of not arguing or correcting but instead redirecting attention, playing along with harmless beliefs, and offering reassurance to reduce distress, with strategies like going for walks during sundown confusion or simply saying imaginary visitors will arrive later. A recurring theme was the emotional toll of being unrecognized by someone you love, the need to meet them in their reality rather than force them into ours, and the importance of humor and grace to cope with the heartbreak and irrationality of the disease.

A myALZteam Member

My dad thinks the people on TV are doing everything right in the living room. Sometimes you just have to laugh to keep from crying. He sees things all the time. And he keeps asking me "where the lady who drives that Jeep?" I still haven't convinced him that I'm the lady. This disease is irrational so creativity is the only solution. All the best.

June 16, 2016
A myALZteam Member

Could I suggest you don't try and correct your loved one too much or argue. Rather redirect them to a different topic. They are genuinely confused and not trying to be difficult. Easier said than done. My DW has periods when all she wants to do is go home. I have discovered she is longing for the security of being with her parents. They have been dead for more than 30 years yet she gets angry when I tell her that. She is at her worst at sundowner time. I have found that taking her for a little walk then helps to distract her and also make her tired,

June 13, 2016
A myALZteam Member

My father always thinks there's is two of tme and one is a guy....lol it seems like every time I leave the house and come back the other one was there earlier and I was never there...

June 17, 2016
A myALZteam Member

My mum would say that there were workmen downstairs and she would be upset about it. There was no way to reason with her. She would only calm down if we said they were finished now and had gone. There is no use trying to convince them they are mistaken, better to distract.

June 14, 2016
A myALZteam Member

Yes same here with husband especially what I have said or done is someone else but I think he still knows who I am most of the time I just say there's only us here or that was me that said/ did that and then just leave it

August 22, 2016

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Wilmington, OH