Thanks Vanessa good to know somebody understands. My sister was a very clever craftswoman as well as being a nurse. Even though she was very confused and found organising her ideas difficult she made a lovely card for my 90th birthday. This was found among her belongings after she died but luckily in time for my birthday. We had been good friends as well as sisters. Love Elizabeth. From: vanessa - Email Address: qwerTÌty1234567a@xxxxxxxxx Sent On: 30/08/2012 13:08 Sent To: GUIDE CHAT - Email Address: guide.chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [guide.chat] elizabeth sometimes i cannot write, sometimes i am good with words, sometimes i write an email and i mean it to be nice and it comes out awful, i cannot do alphabet no more, but i know the keyboard and i can spell, i used to have a plus in maths, but to count now is restarting, i can count and know up to eleven, i am trying to stretch my brain by learning all i can by finding things for chat forum, you must remember them as they were, they are still the same, she is still your lovely friend and the other is still your loving sister, the only way to help them is to find something they truly will enjoy, a craft, holiday, day out, eating something, talking about what they enjoyed doing, may not be any response, but to find something that will make them bring back a smile or the laughter, once you found the laugh, you can strenthen them by keeping what makes them smile or laugh, sometimes there is nothing but spaced out emptiness, let them hear your words repeatedly and give them a hug from me too and also i send a hug and a shoulder, all of you in my thoughts and prayers. vanessa. -----Original Message----- From: Elizabeth Kay - Email Address: ebeth.kay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent On: 30/08/2012 12:10 Sent To: Guide.chat - Email Address: guide.chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [guide.chat] Lost Marbles I have recently been very upset to learn that a friend I have known for many years as an intellegent and lovely woman has been diagnosed with dementia. Along with others of her friends I have observed for some time that she has become forgetful and confused and have feared the worst. I also had a sister, formerly a hospital sister,who suffered from the same disability. She did a lot of silly things and I daresay some people would find them amusing but Iwould never dream of talking about them. This could happen to any of us. Elizabeth