[WPOZZZ]

I'm sorry to hear this Billy.

My grandmother had dementia and it was the most cruel disease ever. She only went up to the 6th grade, but was a smart woman. She was good with money and made good use of her money.

My friend's dad, who was also a business mentor to me, was a brilliant man. He was well educated and was a whiz at investments. We would go drinking with our bunch of businesmen a couple times a week. He stopped coming out about 7 years ago when he got shingles. He came out about a year later and was not the same. Before, he was a buff guy, full of confidence, brilliant, with a cocky strut. Now, he was hunched over and tentative. He didn't even remember that bars closed at 2 am. Something was definitely wrong. Another year later, I was talking to one of his sons and was told he had dementia with Lewy bodies. That is the absolute worst dementia to have and about 6 months later, he was placed in a care facility.

Like my grandmother, he had good care, but it was so cruel to see once brilliant people unable to recognize you, or even put together complete sentences. My mother had mild dementia and I took care of her until the end. It was difficult for me, but mom did not want to go to a home and I did my best. This will be a big life change, but could you look after your dad at your home?