He spends hours (without taking a breath) talking about: how he can't figure out the neighbors work schedule and recites exact times that neighbor has left for work and returned for past 2 weeks, who all may/maynot be coming to the family beach trip and lists the 500 different bedroom assignment possibilities and then the 500 possible combinations of who rides with who and in which car depending on who comes (the algirythm from h*ll), recites what he got in the mail and reads every piece of mail to you, word for word; whats he may have for dinner depending on whats in the fridge, then recites off every single thing in the fridge/freezer and why he nay/maynot eat that for dinner...this is an every night 2 hr phone monologue, no pauses so you can jump in. Tonight, 30 seconds in, it was "I can't figure out what (neighbor) is trying to do, he's traded cars 4 times since his dad died...first he had a 2001 silver Toyota Camry and then he traded that in for a...." and lists each car in detail and he seems frustrated about it. The rest of the family avoids him like the plague and I'm pretty sure it's because you can't get away from him. Any ideas on whats going on? Thanks
Does FIL have any impairments? Does he have cognitive problems, or mental health issues?
Do you have time for a two-hour nightly conversation? Someone I knew with mental illness also was a non-stop talker and VERY hard to get off the phone with. I learned to say at the beginning of the conversation, "I can only talk until 8:30 -- I have something I have to do." Then at 8:20 I'd break into his monologue and remind him I'd have to go in 10 minutes, and then at 8:30 I'd say, "I'm so sorry I have to leave now. It's been hearing from you. Gotta run ... good bye." Since this person has been in treatment he is more self-aware of what he is doing and why it annoys others, and that makes it easier to help him stay on meaningful topics and to wind up the conversation. I don't know if this applies to you FIL or not.
Also, having something more interesting to do than keeping track of the neighbor's car purchases MIGHT help. Going to the Senior Center, joining a senior golf or bowling league or a chess club or going on day trips sponsored by the Senior Center may at least give him some new topics.
Sorry for answering your question with more questions, but I think we could respond more specifically if we knew more about the background.
ni, your FIL's descriptions are so detailed that I wondered if he might have Asperger's. Has he always been detail and list oriented?
Do you think he's experiencing anxiety? The talk about who occupies which room on vacation and who drives with whom seems like he could be anxious. If he's having obsessive,racing thoughts (the listing of the freezer contents raises a red flag) he should talk to his doctor about it.
Pressured speech (speaking frenziedly and rapidly about seemingly inconsequential things) is one of the symptoms of mania in bipolar disorder. Listening to them is exhausting.