Ailing Elder

Dear Tiger of Wisdom. How does one deal with a demented dad who thinks he's an RAF commander who has been taken as a POW for German and French experimentation?

Ouch, that’s a difficult situation, my friend. I should remind you, and all my dear friends and readers, that I am not a mental health professional. I do sympathize with your situation, however. I can only imagine how terribly distressing it is to have to bear this deterioration of one so close. My only advice to you is to seek the care of a professional. A little research with the help of Messrs. Google turned up a few tidbits that may also help. The complex nature of this delusion seems to fit with what I have learned is called Lewy body dementia, a condition similar to Alzheimer’s disease. Here is a link to a page from the Merck Online Medical Library that discusses this. http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec06/ch083/ch083c.html#sec06-ch083-ch083c-500

Assuming your father is suffering from Lewy body dementia the Merck Manual recommended treatment essentially involves “general measures to provide safety and support”. I interpret this to mean keep them safe from harming themselves or others, and try to calm the confusion of their mind with continued outpouring of love.

Ask a tiger.