My mother's neurologist says she does not have dementia....he's referring to her symptoms as degenerative aphasia....the brain is simply shrinking, therefore, affecting her ability to speak and communicate even though she knows what she is trying to say. It is heartbreaking. She is in Assisted Living and they were discussing it in a staff meeting recently....her ability to communicate is getting increasingly difficult. Other than that she is in good health, aside from having taken 2 horrible falls this year but has recovered from them.
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One story I've repeated is when he kept telling me - and then yelling at me - to get his magazines fixed. He had a pile of them and I kept straightening the already neat pile, but he kept yelling - no my magazines! I touched everything nearby and finally opened a drawer and brought up his razor. He said, "Yes, my magazines!" By then I was afraid he'd have another stroke out of frustration. It about broke my heart. He's always been a reader and puzzle worker - a real word person.
We often can't fix anything for others in the sense that we can't change their situation. However, we can say we do understand, at least to some degree. I feel so terrible for your mom and for you having to cope with this heartbreaking situation.
Take care,
Carol