Dillusion via the TVs news

[Bikey]

Hi, I am new to talking point, I joined to communicate with like minded people looking after a spouse with Dementia.
Recently I have found my wife interpreting comments from the news into her own world, for instance, the upcoming war on ISIS, whereby the news talks about killing etc, my wife takes on board they may come to kill her, and at meal times, if she feels she has not eaten well, someone will come and question her, lastly she has taken up to sleeping in the afternoons for about three hours.
Has anyone else going or gone through this phase, if that is what it is.
Thank
Bikey

Thank you all your prompt responses, Her actions are not at all unusual it seems, so far I have not heard of her dreaming at all, I think the next stage for me will be to watch less news, I am still thinking she is the news junkie she used to be!!!

 

[Trisha4]

Hi Bikey and welcome. You will find great advice on here, understanding and usually someone who has experienced what you are dealing with. It's a tough journey but it is easier with others walking beside us.

 

[malc]

we have to be very careful what we talk about in our house or my wife will dream about it,i think it's part of the disease not being able to distinguish between fact and fiction,her ability to know that something is a joke or sarcasm has gone also,so again i have to watch what i say,the only reason she still eats meat is because she doesn't know it comes from animals,yes she also gets tired and sleeps a lot.

 

[Scarlett123]

Hi Bikey, and a warm welcome from me too. Over the years, my husband's grasp of make believe and reality has slipped further and further, to the extent that whatever he dreams now, is actually happening.

I agree with everything, as he is past the stage of reassurance, so if he dreams that a monster is coming to attack him, and he tells me "a monster is coming to attack me", I just say that as we've had our special injections, we'll be fine.

After years of experience, I'm such an accomplished liar, that I believe it myself!

 

[nmintueo]

Lots of people have described this and variations:

Anyone else come across issues with television?
http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?51353

Confusion between TV and reality
http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?45619

Advice on dealing with confusion over the TV
http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?65793

Talking to the TV
http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?15960

Mum talking to tv
http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?25463

TELEVISION - mum frightened of certain programs
http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?41076

 

[Lawson58]

My husband still takes our dog for a walk and he is quite paranoid that someone (TERRORIST!) might come up behind him and attack him.

A well travelled man and usually tolerant, he is now expressing some unsettling views about ISIS and what he thinks they stand for.

Not much point in arguing about it but I don't like listening to his rants.

 

[MrsTerryN]

My mum told me a couple of days ago she was going to join the war.
She no longer watches the TV in in her room but I think she must have sat in the general lounge and ISIS was discussed. Thankfully that seems to have gone now (today was a great day with mum with very little delusions)

 

[Grey Lad]

Hi, I am new to talking point, I joined to communicate with like minded people looking after a spouse with Dementia.
Recently I have found my wife interpreting comments from the news into her own world, for instance, the upcoming war on ISIS, whereby the news talks about killing etc, my wife takes on board they may come to kill her, and at meal times, if she feels she has not eaten well, someone will come and question her, lastly she has taken up to sleeping in the afternoons for about three hours.
Has anyone else going or gone through this phase, if that is what it is.
Thank
Bikey

Hi Bikey

My wife does not think the News is real any more; she thinks it is all made up. Similarly, she thinks all James Bond films are a spoof and not those from the cinema. One of Maureen's problems is her eye sight and I am never sure how much she can see. Sometimes she will watch Birds of a Feather or Not Going Out. Generally, TV offers her little but we sing along to all the old stuff on Youtube on a daily basis.

Hope this helps.

I really have no idea what is going most of the time!

Grey Lad

 

[Bikey]

Hi Bikey, and a warm welcome from me too. Over the years, my husband's grasp of make believe and reality has slipped further and further, to the extent that whatever he dreams now, is actually happening.

I agree with everything, as he is past the stage of reassurance, so if he dreams that a monster is coming to attack him, and he tells me "a monster is coming to attack me", I just say that as we've had our special injections, we'll be fine.

After years of experience, I'm such an accomplished liar, that I believe it myself!

That's one of the problems, isn't it, you have to resort to porkies sometimes to placate them, that in it's self can be really hard, because you really want to explain it as it really is, very frustrating

 

[Chuggalug]

Hi, I am new to talking point, I joined to communicate with like minded people looking after a spouse with Dementia.
Recently I have found my wife interpreting comments from the news into her own world, for instance, the upcoming war on ISIS, whereby the news talks about killing etc, my wife takes on board they may come to kill her, and at meal times, if she feels she has not eaten well, someone will come and question her, lastly she has taken up to sleeping in the afternoons for about three hours.
Has anyone else going or gone through this phase, if that is what it is.
Thank
Bikey

Thank you all your prompt responses, Her actions are not at all unusual it seems, so far I have not heard of her dreaming at all, I think the next stage for me will be to watch less news, I am still thinking she is the news junkie she used to be!!!

Hiya Bikey,

I think you probably said it yourself. Have less of it on when your wife is awake. Delusions are terrible things. I'm so sorry you have to be witness to it all.

Love and strength to you.

 

[Grace L]

Bikey, you are not alone... I wish I could say something to help you through this stage.

I'm a widow now, but my husband had these awful delusions from things he picked up from the TV.

Remember the Bank that went belly-up a few years ago? ...
People on TV News were racing to take their money out ... queuing for hours ++

Husband asked to see his bank file (we didn't have an account there) ...
then asked me to make him an appointment at the Bank as he thought 'I was up to something' ...

As long as it was repeated day after day on the news... it started up the delusion all over again.

Watching TV became very difficult, as I was always wondered .. 'if this/that bit of news'
was going to blow up into yet another delusion.

 

[tomgee3425]

Hi Bikey
My wife thinks that people talking on the television are actually in the house. I have to turn the television off to convince her there is no one here. It's a terrible disease

 

[Scarlett123]

That's one of the problems, isn't it, you have to resort to porkies sometimes to placate them, that in it's self can be really hard, because you really want to explain it as it really is, very frustrating

That's true, but after 11 years of explaining "it", as it really is, which worked in the early days, but doesn't any more, ALs (Alzheimer's Lies) are great - and neither of you get frustrated.

Today, John said "you were on the telly, and you never told me! They saw you, they all saw you - but not me". Fortunately, it only took about half an hour for me to find out what he meant. as one of the carers explained.

My hair looks very red when the sun's shining on it, partially nature, but helped a bit now (!), and some of the residents had watched "Cilla", and said to John this morning - it was on last Monday - that I was on the TV! It's true that there is a very marked resemblance between myself and Sheridan Smith, if you ignore the fact I'm old enough to be her Granny.

So I said "yes but they can only see me sing on the telly, I'm singing for you now, and it's a special performance", and I then sang, badly, "Anyone who had a heart", and John knew nearly all the words, and joined in.

We were on our own in the dining room, and a few of the others wandered in, and one pointed at me and said, excitedly "see, see!", so I then gave an encore of You're My World. I started off much too high, and had to change key a couple of times, but of course, none of the residents cared in the slightest, some joined in, and some just swayed.

What does it matter if they think I'm Cilla, 24, and on the telly or not. John was thrilled, everyone clapped, and I'm unlikely to be sued for fraud by impersonation! After I left, I went shopping and bought myself a pair of sculpt and lift jeggings at M & S, the same sort as my granddaughters wear, and I felt great.

 

[meglin]

Scarlett-What a lovely story, So happy for you. The jeggings sound great. Meglin.

 

[Maymab]

Oh Scarlett, thanks for giving us all a good laugh!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Talking Point mobile app

 

[Scarlett123]

Oh Scarlett, thanks for giving us all a good laugh!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Talking Point mobile app

Happy to help. I couldn't work out how they could remember something they'd seen on Monday, and talk about it on Saturday. But I've now found out from my daughter that it was videoed, and they watched it the previous afternoon. But when John saw it, he knew it wasn't me. Poor man, it must have been like the Emperor's New Clothes, with everyone else saying it was me, and him unable to see it.

I don't think he'd know any other Cilla songs, so I shall put on my panda eye makeup and go through some Dusty songs instead.

 

[Maymab]

Sounds entertaining!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Talking Point mobile app

 

[Trisha4]

Scarlett your posts are great. Thank you

 

[nita]

Or as you've got red hair, how about being Lulu?

 

[Bikey]

Great story, thank you

That's true, but after 11 years of explaining "it", as it really is, which worked in the early days, but doesn't any more, ALs (Alzheimer's Lies) are great - and neither of you get frustrated.

Today, John said "you were on the telly, and you never told me! They saw you, they all saw you - but not me". Fortunately, it only took about half an hour for me to find out what he meant. as one of the carers explained.

My hair looks very red when the sun's shining on it, partially nature, but helped a bit now (!), and some of the residents had watched "Cilla", and said to John this morning - it was on last Monday - that I was on the TV! It's true that there is a very marked resemblance between myself and Sheridan Smith, if you ignore the fact I'm old enough to be her Granny.

So I said "yes but they can only see me sing on the telly, I'm singing for you now, and it's a special performance", and I then sang, badly, "Anyone who had a heart", and John knew nearly all the words, and joined in.

We were on our own in the dining room, and a few of the others wandered in, and one pointed at me and said, excitedly "see, see!", so I then gave an encore of You're My World. I started off much too high, and had to change key a couple of times, but of course, none of the residents cared in the slightest, some joined in, and some just swayed.

What does it matter if they think I'm Cilla, 24, and on the telly or not. John was thrilled, everyone clapped, and I'm unlikely to be sued for fraud by impersonation! After I left, I went shopping and bought myself a pair of sculpt and lift jeggings at M & S, the same sort as my granddaughters wear, and I felt great.