I lived with my folks from the last time my ex beat me up, and my son was 4 months old, until my son was 18 years old. My mom passed during that time. After I moved out and got remarried, my son stayed with my dad for two more years. Anyway, my dad has dementia. After my son moved out, just four months ago, my dad has noticeably declined in his memory and function. And the worst part, he knows it and he’s scared. I’m going to see him today. He lives a few hours away, and I haven’t seen him since Christmas. This isn’t an exciting story and I’m really just venting. It breaks my heart to see my strong and brilliant dad losing his mind to a creeping sludge of confusion and fear. He doesn’t know about my sz. I wish I could share my own struggles with him and tell him that I understand atleast part of what he’s going through. The plan today is to give him a hug, tell him I love him and try not to cry.
My thoughts are going to be with you today.
@notmoses has recommended a book on communicating and connecting with people with dementia. I’ll see if I can track down the link, if he doesn’t provide it first.
My roommate lost her mother to Lewy Bodies dementia. It was hard. But being there was important to her, and she learned to cherish the memories of her mother with the illness as much as her memories of her mother before.
Thank you, @Rhubot. I appreciate your kind words and understanding. My mom passed from lung cancer six years ago, and because of pain med overdose and the cancer spreading to her brain, she suffered confusion and memory loss for two years before she left. It was the longest goodbye. I didn’t expect my dad to suffer similarly without obvious medical reason, just age. Life is ••••••• cruel. I would be interested in that book. Thank you. 
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https://vfvalidation.org/web.php?request=Naomi_Feil_Bio
ALSO: Very useful for managing the stress of those who have to work with demented family members:
MBSR – Welcome to the Mindful Living Blog
Learned Optimism – Learned optimism - Wikipedia
10 StEP – Pair A Docks: The 10 StEPs of Emotion Processing
MBBT – An Introduction to Mind-Body Bridging & the I-System – New Harbinger Publications, Inc
i know this may sound odd…
but when my neighbour gave up smoking he declined faster…
anything that will give his mind a ’ kick '…might help.
i am sorry you have to go through this pain
know someone cares
take care 
Thank you very much!
I appreciate that…thank you ️
It was so nice to have your support today. 
I am so sorry about your roommate’s mom. It sounds like she has a positive way of coping (keeping in mind good memories). I had a good time with my dad. He was pretty sharp, and he has a great sense of humor. I could tell he was exhausted by time I left, but it was a really nice time. I will hold these times in my heart as things progress. I’m so glad I went.