Hi diandra

Belated Happy Birthday

Re your Mother - I personally didn't have to go through that with either of my parents but I spent a lot of time with the mother of a close friend who had dementia. She was eventually cared for in a rest home but as her daughters were both working full-time during the week I used to visit. She had known me for over 30 years and at first she remembered who I was and my name - this gradually faded but I found that trying to make her laugh was one of the best things - even if it meant singing old songs together or getting her to tell me stories about her earlier life.

Another thing was I used to take her a small gift each time I visited - strawberries from the garden, posy of flowers, a particular type of ice-cream cone that had been around for years, etc. Right to the end even if she didn't remember who I was I could still arrive and she would say "oh Freesias - I love freesias" or "TipTop trumpet my favorite ice-cream" - she still associated particular things with good memories.

All the best with your journey.