My sister freaked when Mom didn't know who she was after a 4 hr. visit. What else can I tell my sister to settle her down?

You just have to go with it, some times we get called worse names like: cruel or mean when she wants to do something she can't and we don't let her for safety. this situation is teaching us to be more patient!

Ruth used to call me Benny, her deceased brother !!!!!! Just go to their world.... it doesn't matter in the long run..... just don't upset them with trying to convince them who you are..... what difference does it make....if she had cancer instead of dementia, no one would take it personal if she didn't remember them.... tell sis to educate herself.....you gave great suggestions.....

CelticEdwin, I'm often my mom's since-passed sister, Gladys. Every morning when she wants out of bed, as a matter of fact. Tom, my significant other of 14 years, becomes Dave...mom's SO of 47 years! becomes my dad. Oh, Lordy! That one hurts! Ha! Gotta' laugh.

My wife is an only child. One day about a month ago after taking care of her mother for about 3 months 24/7, my mother in law asked my wife what her name is. That hasn't happened since, but sometimes she calls my wife "Mamm" My name is Ed and quite often she calls me George. We are thankful that we found this web-site and read other care givers experiences with dementia.

She obviously has dementia. What's the big deal? I'm an only....when mom was in the nursing home for rehab after a hip break, I'd walk in and she'd have no IDEA who I was. So I'd say, "Hi, Mom!!!! It's your favorite daughter!!!" (I'm an only.) And the lightbulb would go on, and she'd laugh.

Big girl panties, CAadams, big girl panties. ;)

If she's like my mom, she'll have good days and bad. If I got upset every time mom was confused, I'd be useless to her.

cadams, wow I would feel the same way if neither one of my parents ever did that to me.... but after reading many of the forums on this Agingcare website, now I know if my parent(s) did that, then it was a memory lapse, nothing more nothing less... and that in a little while their memory would return.

Think of it this way, long time ago we use to use tape recorders and once in awhile something would get erased that we didn't want... like the Nixon tapes. That is how some people think that have memory issues.

You are giving your sister good information.

When a person has dementia the entire family suffers. Not recognizing a loved one is one particularly painful aspect of the disease.