We don’t talk much about dementia, so when it happens to someone we know, we aren’t sure how to talk to them or let them know we are there and care.  The years of negative social stigma have led many to believe a diagnosis of dementia means there’s nothing that can be done.  Perhaps the isolation that happens to the person with dementia and their loved ones takes as much from them as the disease.  As we reduce the stigma of this disease, fear and misunderstanding will lose their power of casting a shadow of helplessness, devaluation, embarrassment, and disempowerment.  Together, let’s begin to break down the stigma of dementia.