What can I do when husband “traps” people (even strangers) with long detailed stories about his life, his hobbies, his travels etc?

My husband does the same thing! At first, I used to feel responsible to help the captors escape. But then I realized this was not a "me" problem. I cannot assume that they had no patience to listen. People can tell there is something wrong with my husband, perhaps they are being kind to listen. And if they want to excuse themselves, that is their option, they are adults and it is on them to do it. I don't have to be the one to intervene. Just free yourself from that responsibility, you have enough on your plate as it is, I am sure.

Throw out the embarrassment and awkwardness you feel and let him talk. We’ve all run into a long winded person and had to listen patiently to their stories, haven’t we?
Most often, the only time a person with ALZ is able to hear themselves make any sense and hear themselves string words together without effort is when they are telling of something out of their long-term past.
God love him, let him talk.

Let the strangers handle it in their own ways.

You can make or purchase small business-sized cards that say this:

The person I am with has Alzheimer's
Please be patient
Thank you

Hand one out to the person DH is rambling on with. Here is a link to purchase these cards:

https://www.alzstore.com/please-be-patient-alzheimers-cards-p/0187.htm

Good luck!

Maybe you can say something like "Honey, I don't think they are interested in your stories" Hopefully, the other person will pick up on that and say "George, nice talking to you but I have to run". If its a stranger say "Honey, the repair man needs to do his job. You can talk to him when he is done". Then the repairman can tell him later "sorry sir I have another job to get to or my boss will kill me." Maybe behind ur DHs back you can mouth "Alzheimers" or "Dementia".

You said Mom suffered from ALZ so you are probably aware that his ALZ is probably worsening. That trying to reason with him will have no effect. That he is becoming more self-centered. I believe they become like children. Small children are self-centered. We as parents teach them not to be. But someone suffering from a Dementia cannot be taught or trained. Their short-term memory loss prevents that.

I've got a persistent bore in my family who doesn't have the excuse of dementia, he just lacks to insight necessary to understand that other people don't necessarily share his passions. I figure that people need to learn to set their own boundaries, I may break into the spiel with a comment once to give them an opportunity to come up with an excuse and flee, but after that they are on their own.

I unfortunately live in assisted living but am very high functioning and take care of myself 99.9%. One man kept doing this over and over again - same stories. I just sweetly looked him in the eye and told him he had just told me the story at least 100 times. That stopped him in his tracks. I either got the subjects changed to something new or I excused myself. It worked. I can't stand listening to the same stuff - I go nuts.

Everyone has had experience with these stories and people and have developed their own strategies for escape. No need to worry.

Other folks can disengage how they see fit. Not up to you.

Patwisc: As your husband is the individual with Alzheimer's and more than likely (though I don't really know the receivers' mental states) the listeners are of lucid mind, your husband is doing nothing wrong. He cannot help what he recites orally and his listeners certainly must be aware of that fact.