Real dementia muddles and coincidences

Mum has alzheimer's disease, so it was initially tricky piecing the beginning of this story together. One evening last Summer, a man (Albert) phoned Mum asking for Brian (my Dad). Mum said sorry but he was very unwell and was in hospital (also with alzheimer's disease). Albert was devastated and said he had no idea. Mum asked him how they knew each other and Albert said "through Church". Mum was confused as she would know any church friend too, but she was certain that she did not know Albert. Albert was so distraught at discovering that Dad was in hospital that Mum took his number and called me for help. Something didn't seem right; I called Albert on the number Mum had taken from him and after a very confused phone call we worked out that we did not know him at all and that he was looking for a different Brian. He had had a terrible shock after speaking to Mum and now believed Brian to be ill in hospital with alzheimer's disease. Albert also told me that he was suffering from early alzheimer's disease. After chatting long enough I gleaned that Albert's wife and my Dad had sung in a choir at the same time for many years, but that she had been dead for over 10 years. Perhaps that was why he had Dad's phone number in his phone book. However, Albert was still highly muddled and distressed and still unsure how to contact his Brian, and obviously needed to know whether or not he was OK. he was impossible to reassure. I had to find Brian for him somehow. He had told me 'his' Brian's surname so I looked him up in the phone book and rang someone in the same town with the same surname and initial. It was the wrong person, no relation, but they knew the man I was looking for, just by chance. They even described his house. But they did not have his phone number. Albert had told me the name of the church that he knew his Brian from, so I looked up the pastor's phone number and called him. The pastor not only knew Albert, but also knew Brian. In fact that Brian was actually in his house at the time, for a church meeting. I was able to convey my concern (which they shared) for Albert. Brian was able to go round to Albert's house and assure him that he was perfectly well. It was a great relief, amongst all the obvious sadness, to reunite Brian and Albert before he fretted for too long. It took some explaining to my own Mum what that phone call was about...I'm not sure she ever really got it; it nearly blew my own mind!