Hi Jane - one of the things that can be tough about understanding our loved one’s behaviors with this disease is to figure out if any given thing is an expression of a psychological issue or a physical issue. There is a point where we have to make a “best guess” and try and adjust. It may be that your husband is experiencing the psychological reaction that so much children’s literature and horror stories want us to think - the woods are scary places and storms are frightening in their unpredictability. As your husband’s thinking becomes more difficult, he might be tapping into those parts of his brain that we all incorporate as children. The other possibility is that his brain is having trouble interpreting what his eyes are seeing and ears are hearing, which can definitely lead to fear - light fluctuates in the woods and paths are winding, and storms come with flashes and strange noises. My Mom really did not like thunder and lightning and wind rattling the windows was upsetting, too. Hand holding, singing favorite songs, reading to her or watching a musical or Christmas movie were good ways of soothing the anxiety for us - finding ways to be reassuring and keeping him relaxed may help. Sending hugs and support!❤️

Validate his feelings and redirect the conversation to a safe joyful subject . It can’t hurt to re-assure a safety plan .

My husband has always been a kind, caring, soft hearted man so it's not a surprise, but he has been increasingly concerned about the safety of the children in our neighborhood. There have been times while driving that he becomes overly concerned about safety too. Anything along the roadway, bumps in the road etc. are sometimes a grave concern. While typing this I'm thinking....he's not wrong to be concerned !!!

Medication for dementia such as Aricept causes nightmares in some people .

Janel,
My husband seems scared just watching some tv . Sometimes there is no scary scene , he still looks scary and wispers to me to turn it off.. like not having them listen what he said..
maybe hullcination or delusion?