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He is sleeping a lot. In his sleep, he has long conversations with friends and family who have passed away. When he wakes up, even if he has only been a short nap, he thinks it's a new day. He argues with me when I tell him it's still Sunday, etc. He gets angry when I tell him he's been dreaming and that John or Jim hasn't been in the room. Help! What should I do? Just agree ?

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Hi Maple. My Mom is in mid stage and has been talking to her deceased parents in her sleep for several years. She also wakes from napping thinking it’s another day or morning. She doesn’t understand that if it’s daylight that 2 o’clock must be in the afternoon. All ‘normal’ for this disease. It will get easier for you over time to go along with his thinking. Best of luck to you and your husband. Sending you a hug.
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Not to upset you or anything, but many times, when a loved one is preparing to transition to death, they tend to dream about departed loved ones and have conversations with them quite often. Consider that your husband may in fact BE talking to these people, so don't 'correct' him...........leave him be with his 'dreams' and let it go. I remember when my Uncle John was semi-comatose for several days before he passed..........he woke up one evening, sat bolt upright in bed, and yelled MOM, with a wide grin covering his mouth. He passed away a day or two later.

If your husband is in late stage Alzheimer's, he too may be preparing to leave the Earth. I suggest you enter HIS reality now instead of trying to correct him, or bring him into YOUR reality. There really is no point in it, it only creates frustration and arguments that neither of you need right now.

Wishing you the very best of outcomes here, and the peace to accept whatever outcome awaits.
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Maple3044 Nov 2019
THanks for your advice
About 6 months ago our PCP told me it appeared that my husband was in the beginning stages of dementia. It's all extremely new to me and very co fusing. I appreciate all the responses to help me cope
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I would definitely see a doctor. This could very well be Alzheimer's, but there are many other possible causes as well. If this was a sudden change (over days), then it could be a reaction to medication, a minor stroke, or ???

I can't comment on the exact cause (go see a doctor), but as for dementia in general:

Do not argue or try to convince your husband that he's wrong. You'd just be telling him he's stupid, and he's not stupid! His brain just isn't capable of rational reasoning (connecting the dots). Day is night, night is day, today is Tuesday when it's Thursday, etc.

You have to let go of your reality and accept his. To him, everything he's arguing about makes perfect sense. To him John or Jim were in the room, and it was no less real to him than it would be to you if John or Jim were really in the room. Accept his reality, and it'll get easier for you.

BTW... It is not uncommon for people with Alzheimer's to regress to an earlier time in their life:
"This is not my house! My house has two stories and overlooks the lake."
"You're not my wife! My wife has long, brown hair, not short, gray hair like you."

Just accept that his reality is different than yours and don't try to convince him otherwise. Also, FYI, I've found a tremendous amount of helpful information from this website: www.alzheimersreadingroom.com.

All the best!

P.S. To the moderators: I have no affiliation with the above referenced site.
I truly just found it very helpful.
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Maple3044 Nov 2019
Thanks for your response. About 6 months ago our PCP told me that my husband was in the beginning stages of dementia. It's all so confusing to know what to do and how to cope.
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You can't reason with AZ, so I would just agree. If these are new symptoms, I would inform his doctor. It may be time for him to move to memory care.
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