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I do not believe in telling someone with dementia repeatedly about a death; it serves no purpose for them to relive the agony of a death over and over. My mother with MCI and almost no short term memory occasionally asks where one of her deceased siblings are and I usually answer "at home" while in my head I'm thinking "in their heavenly home". When she asks how a particular sibling she always worried about is doing, I tell her just fine, no worries/problems for quiet a while now (since her death). For me, keeping my answers as short as possible and as close to the truth as possible helps with the "therapeutic fib".

Interesting thing about my mother is some important things still fix into her memory. When her brother died a few years back, I phoned her to make sure she knew before the paper came out, but she still called me when she saw the death notice wanting to know why no one had called her. Yet when my father died earlier this year, she only had to be told once, although she did give a small start when I informed her doctor the only change since her last appointment was Mom was a widow now. She always speaks of my father in the past tense and occasionally asks questions about practical stuff, like the headstone.
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Telling someone with dementia that a loved one has passed away forces them to relive that trauma each & every time you mention it.

Lie. That's my suggestion.
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I would not tell her. When my mother asks about her long departed siblings I always say "they're fine" or follow whatever it is she is asking. "Are they home from the hospital?"....Yes mom, everything is fine.
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Depends. Remember when YOU sometimes awaken from a dream. You are disoriented and think you are within your dream (instead of reality). That is precisely what your Mum is experiencing. Watch her closely. If she is out-of-her-dream, you can remind her GENTLY by showing her photos of past events or saying her "Remember you helped at so-and-so's funeral by doing such-and-such". If she is NOT out-of-her-dream, just mention briefly then immediately follow with another topic to DISTRACT her. For eg, if she says "Tell so-and-so to pick up little-brother from school", IMMEDIATELY pick up your mobile phone, press some buttons and talk loudly to so-and-so in front of her (all acting) then tell her "Yes, all taken care of. Now please can you play scrabble with me ? PLEASE". Or put her in the wheelchair for a short ride around the block. Going out helps a LOT !!! You can buy a manual wheelchair on-line from eBay for about $120.
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