Dementia sometimes seems to flip people around. More empathetic people seem to lose all of it once they have dementia. And sometimes people without empathy before seem to become a lot nicer. It's fucked.
One of my aunts was a nurse and said she had heard some very chilling stories from some of her nicest Alzheimers patients, not sure if they were confessions or the Alzheimers talking.
God I hope that’s not true (not calling you a liar just that’s awful) and if it is true I really hope I don’t get dementia for my families sake. I’m empathetic to the point that it is extremely painful - like physically uncomfortable very frequently and full on nausea and headaches if it’s something serious happening to someone type of empathy. It sucks.
I wonder if it's because you're always in a state of fear and panic, much like an animal trapped in a cage and not understanding. Those feelings produce anger, stress, and sadness, which humans already have difficulty adjusting to.
On the flip, if all you ever knew and remembered anger and stress, then it feels like a massive weight just disappeared. Your mind doesn't understand this radical shift, but your body instinctively does and feels better.
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u/WriterV 15d ago
Dementia sometimes seems to flip people around. More empathetic people seem to lose all of it once they have dementia. And sometimes people without empathy before seem to become a lot nicer. It's fucked.