Capgras Syndrome is a nasty, awful syndrome where there are multiples of you and everything else.  And the real person is always the imposter or the substitute.  I HATE Capgras syndrome.  It’s exhausting, frustrating and tests your love.  Thankfully, my love is deep.

What to do?

1) First, remain calm.  They cannot help it that you are not the “real you.”  It’s exhausting.  And if you complain or go to the place of self-pity, it will do you in.

2) Sometimes if you step out for a moment and come back in, even introducing yourself, then they will see you as you…maybe.

3) There are always multiple homes.  And they are never home.  This is in most dementias and it’s very frustrating for them when you say, “We ARE home.”  Sometimes the best thing to do is go on a drive around the block, and as you pull back into your driveway, happily announce, “Look, we’re HOME!!” in a celebratory voice.

4)  Going outdoors helps a lot.  I’m not sure why.  It just does.

5) Vibration helps as in taking a car ride.  Or for us, our best investment ever was a golf cart.  The movement brings calms to the neuro system.

Hang in there.  This syndrome comes and goes in its intensity.  It typically doesn’t stay for the rest of their journey, although some remnant of it will.  But it can be a long phase and a hard one.

Stay loving.