Ellen @elvan, I am so sorry you have to walk this path with Mike. I remember mom when she went to speak with dad's Psychiatrist at some point, when dad was in early stages, and when mom said "I don't really know he needs the drugs, he does not get lost, or forgets many things", the Dr said "oh, he will". And he did, and mom was crushed. Cancer is hard on people and their families, but there is always home for remission.
Dementia is making feel everyone helpless, the patient as well as those who love them. I will never forget the posture dad was in most of the time, almost like trying to organize his thoughts in a normal matter. He knew where this was heading, his youngest sister died of an early onset of dementia. He was holding his head with his two fists, almost trying to push the fists in, it was so incredibly hard to see.
Everything which is being done today to relief some of the suffering, to make them feel close to normality, it is huge. The best moments dad had in his terminal years, were when he was asked to tell stories of his life journey. He was getting animated, he was remembering every detail from 40-50 years ago, and it was making him feel good about himself, making him almost happy.
Thank you Dale for sharing.
