Somewhere I read that a person in the later stages of dementia can only remember something for 3 seconds. Based on my experience with Kate, that sounds about right. For example, at Panera this morning, she asked me to tell her my “real” name. I asked if she meant my first name. That was the one she wanted. After I told her, she wanted the middle and last names. I gave them to her and then repeated the first, middle, and last names. Then she said the three names. She started to repeat them again but could only get my first name. She tried again. She could get it, but it was difficult to get it right after saying it once. I’m just glad that she doesn’t appear to be overly concerned about it. I emphasize “overly” because she obviously is concerned or she wouldn’t keep asking my name, our childrens’ names, or the name of the city in which we live. She sometimes apologizes for asking again. I always tell her, “That’s why I’m here. You can ask me as many times as you want.”
