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He was in the military as a radioman during WWII but was never a pilot. He tells everyone he flew B47's; and helicopters during Katrina. (He did take private heli lessons when he was 45 and maintained a private pilot's license for small planes since age 20). It's very embarrassing for me in public as he seems to truly believe this. I am his live-in full time caregiver and can't stand to be in the same room with him. I am his eldest retired child. Do you think he's just mixed up or is this a first sign of dementia or Alzheimer's?

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pathological lies by defination are thoughts that dont follow the proper pathways thru the brain. think shortcuts. i understand jessies concern. a few evenings ago my mother told me she was afraid of me. first time in 55 years. a couple of days later she was berating herself for having ever had such a thought. in her clearer moments even she recognized that she sometimes had delusional notions. its scary when so many medical / social workers are conclusion jumping dullards.
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My mother does this all the time. She rewrites stories -- maybe she does it in her fantasies, then they become true. She casts herself in a more noble role than actually happened. Her stories are based on fact, so sound very plausible. It also drives me crazy to listen to her tell them to neighbors, because I know they aren't true. The strange thing is that she will remember her confabulated story, but will forget what really happened. It is like her reality shifted off to one side.I don't try to correct her if it is not important, because it would just become angry. So I go with, or just ignore, her reality.

In one of the Aging Care discussions, there was talk of mandatory reporting of elder abuse. The idea of it made me uneasy because I know how my mother is. There is no telling what twists her tales will take and to her they will become the truth. So far it has not created any problems for me other than making me feel a bit off-balanced living between two realities. The confabulations have not been malicious. I just hope that if they do become malicious that others will know what the truth is. It would be terrible to end up in legal trouble because of the confabulations that can happen for people with dementia.
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Thanks. At next check-up with his Dr. I'll ask what can be done.
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This absolutely sounds like dementia. He believes what he says. He's confused about what he actually did with news reports about what's going on in the world. He also is likely confusing what he actually did with things he wishes he did. To him, it's real, and basically all the same.

Your dad needs an evaluation with a specialist to see if dementia is present, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they find Alzheimer's or another type of dementia.
Take care,
Carol
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