What a sucky year, Jack. All too much. Too damn much. My heart is sad just reading this.

I understand your reluctance to see your mom. I had an aunt with dementia. Her daughter said she had "moments of clarity" but who knew when those moments would occur? The last time I visited her in the nursing home, she thought she worked there. She'd had a hard day and had to work overtime. She kept saying over and over that she was too tired to keep working and begged me to let her go home. A deeper meaning to that is obvious.

My father had some type of dementia, although it was never diagnosed because the verbal testing the VA did was ridiculous. My father watched the news for hours and hours each day. The dementia testing involved questions like these:

Who is the President of the United States?

What year is it?

Hell, my father could name the President and his entire Cabinet! But, despite an MBA, he couldn't tell the difference between a bank statement and a credit card statement and his comprehension of money was vague. His medications were a mystery to him, including the reasons for taking them.

I am so sorry, Jack, for what you and Deb went through. And, I know it was heartbreaking for you to see Deb suffering from the loss of her mom.

Thanks for sharing your stories with us.