Depending on which medical web site you visit, there are anywhere from 5 to 7 stages in the tragic onslaught of aging parents dementia.

There seems to be a general consensus about Stage 1. It’s called normal. Like you, like your parents and grandparents and, thanks in part to the wonders of modern medicine and nutrition, great grandparents too. All going about their lives and, for the most part, relishing the experience.

Stage 2 is just a tiny degree off from the first. It’s those little “where did I leave my cell phone”, “why can’t I think of that place or word” moments that all busy people experience from time to time. Nothing to get alarmed about.

It’s only when the next stages develop, that concern kicks in. Whether the endgame comes with a number 5 or 7 attached to it, the adjectives are always the same — hopeless, depressing, exhausting and tragic for both parent and offspring.

Adding to this is the fact that there’s no clear delineation or consensus about what symptoms define each stage. And does it really matter whether forgetting where one lives is assigned a number 4 or 5 on some arbitrary scale? The truest fact is that a once vibrant, functional human being whom you love is becoming trapped in a life-ending haze of frustration and confusion.

As of now, there is no cure. We all recognize that. There are a handful of medicines that seem to work for a while. But their effect diminishes with time, and the disease wins out in the end.

There is, however, another therapy that seems to hold increasing promise. Exercise. Engagement. Education. Force feeding the brain with doses of what we lay people call life. Taking a parent for a slow but steady walk in the fresh air, maybe even with a dog in tow. Reading them a book. Helping them solve a puzzle or learn a new language. Granted, this takes far more time than popping some pills in a person’s mouth, plumping their pillows, turning on the T.V. and leaving the room. But for as long as it can be done, steady doses of life seem to do as much, if not more good than chemicals. And a better-lived life for your parent translates into a better life for you.

Which is precisely why you might want to contact us sooner rather than later; not just when a life is on the verge of being lost, but when there is still life left to live. Best Care chooses only the most highly qualified and compassionate caregivers for its registry. We will be happy to offer support and solutions through all stages of aging parents dementia, whatever the number might be.