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MY MIL went into great detail about an Asian burial practice. She told us that every person had to have a bone map created (when born), and the bones must be buried in differentiating directions. She ‘knew’ every detail about this ‘practice’. After 2 hours of explaining, she told use could see the bones if we went to specific museum in London, n (she says they have 9 floors dedicated to these bones, and they are incased in concrete). She sounded like an anthropologist! Age went on to explain Tom Cruise is working secretly with our Attorney General & the Speaker of the House kerpsall of China’s financial records! The detail she goes into is amazing! She once told my assistant that she tried to buy an octopus for her, but they were out of stock, her dentist whittled her teeth out of wood, and the bears in her backyard were shooed away by a man ;from the town), with a giant rake. It is never ending...i believe she takes in bits of news and they become tied together with other fantastic tales! We just agree, comment and try to reorient her.

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My mother had similar fantastical stories. I wrote them all down.
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When my mother was afraid of an animal she saw living in her fake flower arrangement, she went into great detail. it watched her and she saw it moving around in there. She couldn’t sleep for fear of what it might do, and if it got out and ran around the house, what then? Fortunately she knew that one of our hired caregivers was good with animals, so we made a big deal of the caregiver putting a large bag over the arrangement and removing it from her room and the house. Whew! Problem solved. There were many other fantastical tales that we enjoyed. Sort of.
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You act like these are lies. If your MIL has Dementia, these stories are what her mind is dreaming up. Yes she believes them, its becomes her memories her reality. TV and dreams become part of their reality and the mind cannot separate them anymore.

My Mom saw a little girl who must have been a pistol because she was always telling her to stop what she was doing. She called me to see this little girl and she disappeared. Did I think she was lying, no, Neurologist said she would hallucinate and if it didn't frighten her than no problem. Did I tell her there was no girl, no. I just went along with it. Another time she was watching TV and said the Dr wanted to talk to me. It was Dick Van Dyke on Diagnosis murder. I did tell her then "Mom thats Dick Van Dyke".
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My mother had hallucinations from Charles Bonnet syndrome. She regularly saw an elf living in the ceiling fan, but she knew it was a hallucination.
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My father kept telling me that Mike Pence came to his assisted living to discuss my father's time in WW2. Now my father did have a conversation with someone in real life about this but it was in the 1950s and it was with Harry Truman.
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My mom once told me that the family roller skating party we were going to have across the street ( from her place ) probably had to be rescheduled because it was too far for some people to come - like my father who had to come a long way ( he’s passed so that would be quite a trip ! )

I agreed that it was a marvelous party idea and let’s reschedule :)
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By the way, you should read "Can We Talk About Something More Pleasant?" by Roz Chast. She's a cartoonist for The New Yorker, and wrote and drew this book about the her parents' decline and being their caregiver. It's simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time.
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My mom insists that Michael Landon had been at her brother's home in Oakland, CA the night before at a swim party. Nothing I said dissuaded her from that belief.

Not the fact that BOTH Michael Landon AND her brother had passed away--this is something that really did happen--50+ years ago. My uncle and Michael WERE friends, in the same industry and so they socialized.

I realized after less than 10 minutes into this pointless conversation that she really believed this has happened. Well, it DID, but not in the timeframe she thought.

Many of her stories are like this--based in 'fact' yet so old and out of sync with what's currently happening you get confused.

And I LOVED the Roz Chast book! It's sad, but spot on in so many ways.
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That puddle on the floor? Those two mover men unplugged the refrigerator and the ice melted all over the floor. That's good to unplug refrigerator because if water got to the refrigerator it would electrocute me or the cats.
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My mom thinks firemen used their ladder truck to climb through her upstairs window to check on her. Since she wasn't home they left her a note and, I presume, went back out the way they came in.
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