Thank you Michael. I wish I had learned to be a hero of dementia much, much earlier. Decades. At least I have always been a student of everything. So I realized in 1978 that my father had something very wrong going on with him, on a visit back home. No one else in the family believed me for a long time. And didn't understand why I upped and moved home. This was because, as fundamentalists, they were firmly attached to the idea that belief, not awareness of the moment, would see them through anything. Not a good disposition for a family who has now had eight close members end up with dementia in a broader family that has had a huge rate of dementia over five generations, as far as I know from genealogical research. I may be facing the same future.

I have started serious study of Buddhism after having had a casual practice for three decades. But even the casual study managed to break through the roller coaster emotions that comes with being part of my family, which is also prone to cyclic depression and related issues. I eventually learned to watch the moments, which allowed me to notice the life of dementia gradually moves over into a dream life. Still active as long as it can be, but not tethered to order. That helped me work with my sister who died two years ago. I followed her waking state as a dream. We could communicate better, longer. But not long enough to make a difference in the face of hard set beliefs around us. I am so glad you both were grounded in Buddhism.

The ways we use our minds make such a difference in how dementia develops. If only more people were aware that Buddhism's teachings can help us use our minds in a much healthier way. Gassho.