Distressing Hallucinations

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal:  It is the courage to continue that counts."
Winston Churchill

So well said.  We will not cure this disease of dementia in our loved one -- so success, defined as cure - is not a reachable goal for us.  We will fail many times in our caregiving.  Fail to be as loving and patient as we might be.  Fail in knowing all it might be good for us to know.  But, we can, like Churchill advises, continue on.  Recently when I visited, my loved one was consumed in a visual hallucination that was distressful for him.  He is not very verbal any more, so I had trouble making sense of what was upsetting him.  He talked about a horse and carriage, and how he had "really goofed" and something about a valve.  So, I took a leap in addressing what might be at the bottom of his distress and agitation.  I said, "Does the horse need water?"  He answered, "Yes."  So, I said, "Would you like me to be sure that the horse gets water?"  He visibly relaxed and said, "Yes."  Believing there was resolution in his visual hallucination, which was very real to him, allowed him to let it go.  How do you help your loved one with distressful hallucinations?