They Crack Up, First Stealthily, Almost Silently

Dementia, caused by disease much more than disaster, slowly steals pieces of a person’s mind, bits of their identities and abilities, each seeming so inconsequential, until the day comes they can no longer take care of themselves. Be proactive. Understand the absurdities, the heartbreaks, and the frustrations that flow behind each diagnosis. Equip yourself to meet each dying person in each shaving of their mental abilities. Creatively care for them individually. Focus on using more nurturing behavioral solutions and less pharmacological interventions. Sharpen their dull knives as best you can; even if only to use them as letter openers for their closing minds.