My mom has been relatively stable for a few years (she's 74) after being diagnosed with dementia . She has of course no short-term memory, needs cues to take a bath, brush her teeth, etc., forgets appointments but not people. Nothing too terrible yet. Today, she came in my room and seriously asked, "are we going to go get the rest of the the stuff from the other house?" I was confused as she has lived right here in THIS house for at least 50 years. I then realized she was talking about the house she lived with her grandmother when she came out to CA from Boston at age 11. She even knew the address. I just didn't know what to say to that. But I just told her she hasn't lived at that place for over 50 years and that she "must have had a dream or something"....to downplay it. I am really scared that this could mean she is going to get a lot worse fast now. She is only 74! I guess I'm looking for reassurance that this is normal and expected...I'm not ready for anything worse just yet.
I know this is very difficult to deal with. My mom has no idea this is her home. It used to be part of her sundowning behavior when it first started about six months ago, but now it is every day, all day. It is heartbreaking to watch.
It's totally OK. It's not manipulative because the person isn't going to use this information to make life decisions or spend money, or do something where they could be injured in any way.
I have heard, and seen in my own mother and other family, that as dementia progresses, the person seems to go back in time. They may think they are a child again, and expect to be around people who were alive back then in places they used to go. My mom sees pets she used to have back in the 1940s - she's 78 this year.
But, if there's a bunch of really crazy stuff, or if she gets sort of angry or violent, then I would suspect a urinary tract infection.