My father thought my brother had tried to kill him, so didn't want him visiting (I encouraged him to be polite and treat him as he would a client, and he accepted that); he thought I was not his child and instead the child of a man of another race; and thought the people in the apartment next to him were taking the body organs out of the other residents (as if anyone wants the kidneys of a 90 year old!). Oh--and his son in law was on his terrace at 3AM. He called the police on my sister saying she was stealing his money. All a heartbreaking challenge when it came to caregiving (my sister was the caregiver). As far as I recall we did not have him on tranquilizer or antipsych meds though. He would not have taken them, Perhaps that would have helped, I don't know. My mother is just "normal" elderly and Xanax and Zoloft have helped a lot with her aggression and mild paranoia. But LBD is another thing of course. Your doc needs to know. It is such a sad and painful disease to witness. I send you support and empathy--for what it is worth. You are not alone.
"Capgras syndrome (CS), or delusion of doubles, is a delusional misidentification syndrome.[1] It is a syndrome characterized by a false belief that an identical duplicate has replaced someone significant to the patient."
What the OP is saying is her DH thinks she is a man.
I currently have 3 women in our local caregiver support group who's husbands have been diagnosed with capgras syndrome and their husbands have all thought at times that they were someone else,( ie. neighbor, sister-in-law, friend, and I don't know who the heck you are, but you're not my wife)so the definition goes beyond just thinking there is 2 of the same person. That is why violence and even homicide is so prevalent in these cases where someone suffers with capgras as they think that a stranger(though it's a loved one)is in their house and even taking their car, though again it's their loved ones. The stories that I've heard from these women are quite scary to say the least.
It sounds like perhaps that your husband is suffering from capgras syndrome, as it can go hand in hand with dementia. I would talk to his neurologist about that as people with capgras syndrome can become very violent and it can be quite scary for the loved one caring for that person. Best wishes to you as you care for your husband.
I have never heard this specifically. However often people with dementia do not recognize people that they should know. Silly question...have you changed your hair from when you first met him? If your hair used to be long and it is now shorter he may not be connecting you with the short hair. My Husband used to follow someone in the store, thinking it was me. I used to kid that when he followed someone with long darker hair that was me in my 20's...when he followed someone a bit heavier set with a little shorter hair that was me in my 30's.....when he started following a gray haired old man that would be when I would start to worry that I had cut my hair to short. (by then I had a "Jamie Lee Curtis gray pixie cut)
If he can not accept that you are you. If he can not accept you as his caregiver you may not have any other option but to have a caregiver come in and help you.
Oh--and his son in law was on his terrace at 3AM.
He called the police on my sister saying she was stealing his money.
All a heartbreaking challenge when it came to caregiving (my sister was the caregiver).
As far as I recall we did not have him on tranquilizer or antipsych meds though. He would not have taken them, Perhaps that would have helped, I don't know. My mother is just "normal" elderly and Xanax and Zoloft have helped a lot with her aggression and mild paranoia. But LBD is another thing of course. Your doc needs to know.
It is such a sad and painful disease to witness. I send you support and empathy--for what it is worth. You are not alone.
What the OP is saying is her DH thinks she is a man.
That is why violence and even homicide is so prevalent in these cases where someone suffers with capgras as they think that a stranger(though it's a loved one)is in their house and even taking their car, though again it's their loved ones.
The stories that I've heard from these women are quite scary to say the least.
Best wishes to you as you care for your husband.
However often people with dementia do not recognize people that they should know.
Silly question...have you changed your hair from when you first met him? If your hair used to be long and it is now shorter he may not be connecting you with the short hair.
My Husband used to follow someone in the store, thinking it was me. I used to kid that when he followed someone with long darker hair that was me in my 20's...when he followed someone a bit heavier set with a little shorter hair that was me in my 30's.....when he started following a gray haired old man that would be when I would start to worry that I had cut my hair to short. (by then I had a "Jamie Lee Curtis gray pixie cut)
If he can not accept that you are you.
If he can not accept you as his caregiver you may not have any other option but to have a caregiver come in and help you.