It's your birthday and yet you don't feel happy as you see how your father's mental health condition has deteriorated. You have spent the past few hours keeping a lookout for your father and coaxing him to sleep while the mother gets some much needed rest.

In the few hours of observation, you have noticed that he keeps re-arranging the ash tray, cup and cigarettes. He searches for his slippers and thinks that he is going to the office. He treats his pajamas as his work clothes by stuffing his cigarettes and mobile phone into non-existent pockets. He stands up and holds on to the shelf before sitting down - took a while for you to realise that he needed his umbrella-modified walking stick to walk. 

While you hope that its just a case of being possessed, you cannot help but think that it's more likely an early onset of dementia.    

To contextualise what dementia is, one needs to understand the following;

"Dementia is not a specific disease. It's an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person's ability to perform everyday activities." 

The signs are as follows;

"While symptoms of dementia can vary greatly, at least two of the following core mental functions must be significantly impaired to be considered dementia; Memory, Communication and language, 

Ability to focus and pay attention, Reasoning and judgment, Visual perception"

It's stressing for the family as the mother has to take care of him with you and the youngest one assisting. The 3rd brother keeps a lookout during the day time when the father is in the office while the second brother has to take care of his kid. It's not easy but somehow or rather, you just have to be strong enough to take care of everybody.

Its been a tough month as you juggle with the multiple demands of house renovation, work stresses and taking care of family needs. It can get too much for you to handle at times but you just have to do what you have to do.  

Taking care of an elderly family member with suspected dementia syndromes can be fraught with several challenges. One has to keep a close watch at them and make sure that they are not at any risk of falling. Your schedule revolves adjustments to your daily routine; on weekdays, making sure you reach the office by 7.30pm if the siblings are not available, on weekends, making sure that you are available to do the sending and picking up.

It's not easy but something you and the siblings have to deal with.