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mollymaid2 Asked January 2018

Uncle is talking to himself & waving his hand like he is having a conversation. Any ideas?

My uncle has started to talk to himself a lot it is like he is having a full blown conversation. He will sit there muttering & waving his finger up in the air like he is responding to someone, meanwhile there is no one in the room. His daughter has caught him doing this a few times. She is worried it normally happens when he is alone in the room. He is in his 80's had a minor stroke about 6 years ago, is mobile, can walk & get around the house slowly. Any idea on what this could be?She is yet to make a doctor apt for him.

polarbear Jan 2018
I don't think having a full blown conversation with an imaginary person is normal. It's not the same as talking to yourself as in verbalizing your thoughts out loud which some people do sometimes. If possible, she should record him doing it and have a professional look at it.

jeannegibbs Jan 2018
I think an appointment with a doctor would be a good idea.

I talk out loud to myself now that I live alone. So I'm going to tell you it may not be anything to be concerned about. If it doesn't bother Uncle, if he isn't angry or scared during these episodes, I don't see harm done, but I do think a medical check up is warranted, if nothing else to establish a baseline to measure against if things change.

Can his daughter tell if he really is talking to himself, or if he perhaps hallucinating that another person is there? That might be good information for the doctor.

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