Mom's asking about deceased relatives. What do I tell her?

You say deceased *distant* cousins - but were these cousins people she knew during her upbringing, when she was living with her aunt?

Rather than close down or change the subject, another approach you could try would be to open up the conversation. Ask her about them, what they were like, what she and they used to do together. While encouraging her to reminisce, you can then lead the conversation round to the present day and help her to orient herself in time.

This 'slippage' is a very common feature of dementia. It's as though memory is built up in layers, and the layers wear away, so that the oldest and deepest ones - say, from when she was a child and a teen - resurface and seem to her, now, to be the present day.

You won't be able to stop her asking about them, but you will find it easier to reassure her; and at the very least you will make it a more interesting conversation.

Your profile says your mom has Alzheimer’s disease. Others on the forum have experience with this.

Stick around for answers.

Best wishes to you and your mom.

Does your mother have dementia? Because this is a common symptom and many here have dealt with this with their loved ones. If you tell your mother her relatives are dead, she is going to feel the heartache and grief every time so when she brings them up, come up with a “therapeutic fib”—instead of saying they are dead, make up a scenario where they are away and unable to visit anytime soon.