Nope. It isn't a normal part of aging. Nope. Not all old people get it. In fact, some younger people have it. It's a disease. In fact, Dementia is an "umbrella" term for a multitude of different types of. Almost 100 in fact!
There are (of these multitudes of diseases) 6 things they all have in common:
- At least two parts of the brain is dying.
- There is no stopping it or cure for it.
- It keeps changing and progressing.
- It turns life upside down for the patient and the caregiver.
- No two cases are ever completely identical.
- It is terminal.
Pretty cheery stuff huh? Turns out, my original belief was much happier. The multiple heartbreak is that you lose your loved one over and over. You see them and they may look the same...normal. You have that brief bright flare of hope and then they say or do something (not intentionally) that makes you feel like you've lost them all over again. How do you get through it? How do you survive?
Day by day. Hopefully, with a little help.