Hallo
My husband has dementia - the formal diagnosis was only 18 months ago but things have progressed rapidly. He is now very confused and frightened by his delusions, the main one being that, as he puts it, he is being murdered - by me chiefly, in the sense that I am doing nothing to prevent this.
There is a "conspiracy"with a mastermind who he calls the doctor and often sees in disguise on TV, and there's a code which I was to write down and "send in" from time to time (I do this by keying it into the TV remote)
He calls out for HELP often, in the hope that there's someone out there to help him. Heartbreakingly, he sometimes calls "'HELP, it's me. {his name}, I'm being murdered" He often becomes very angry .and verbally abusive with me because I am not helping in the way he wants me to (though doing everything I can to look after him with the help of carers) It doesn't help that he brings up things from the past in our (long!) marriage that I know have been unsatisfactory.
How can I best deal with all this. I know we are advised to appear to go along with delusions, not argue etc but how can I go along with being a murderer?
The poor man is totally helpless as he is also chair-bound. Part of his delusion is that in fact he can walk etc perfectly well but is being prevented somehow.
So I am also saying HELP!
.
My husband has dementia - the formal diagnosis was only 18 months ago but things have progressed rapidly. He is now very confused and frightened by his delusions, the main one being that, as he puts it, he is being murdered - by me chiefly, in the sense that I am doing nothing to prevent this.
There is a "conspiracy"with a mastermind who he calls the doctor and often sees in disguise on TV, and there's a code which I was to write down and "send in" from time to time (I do this by keying it into the TV remote)
He calls out for HELP often, in the hope that there's someone out there to help him. Heartbreakingly, he sometimes calls "'HELP, it's me. {his name}, I'm being murdered" He often becomes very angry .and verbally abusive with me because I am not helping in the way he wants me to (though doing everything I can to look after him with the help of carers) It doesn't help that he brings up things from the past in our (long!) marriage that I know have been unsatisfactory.
How can I best deal with all this. I know we are advised to appear to go along with delusions, not argue etc but how can I go along with being a murderer?
The poor man is totally helpless as he is also chair-bound. Part of his delusion is that in fact he can walk etc perfectly well but is being prevented somehow.
So I am also saying HELP!
.