My father-in-law does not remember yesterday or even what happens in the morning anymore. It is in stage 6. He knows his family but at times he forgot his elder son who is in Europe. He forgot most of his close friends. We don't expect him to remember anymore.

You can just talk to him nicely about the present and what is going on around him, or play games with him. Touch him and talk to him to make him happy. Don't make him feel guilty or embarrassed about what he does not remember. Just live in the present. If he thinks you are someone else, play along with it too and make him happy.

Regards,

Nina

Hi, Rich,

It's hard to watch our loved ones fade away, and finding that they don't remember recent conversations can be heartbreaking. But know that your presence is a really great benefit to your grandfather, even as his memory slips.

As far as your question, here are some ways that I was able to engage my mom during our visits:

- Talk about things that happened to you when you were a child that might be remembered or ask your loved one's childhood.

- Learn how to tell stories about what's happening to you. I wrote about this at: http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/1747/art-storytelling

- Take a treat with you. My mom loved cookies and smoothies, so I used these as treats and to mark special occasions. I wrote about this at: http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/8249/birthday-smoothie/

- Take a pet with you that your grandfather can enjoy. My mom loved it when I brought my miniature schnazuer with me for our visits: http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/1648/comfort-canine/

- Identify an activity that your grandfather would like. I took Mom's love of being creative and brought an adult coloring book and crayons. She enjoyed that (although I found too many choices of crayon colors caused a lot of confusion for her). I wrote about this at:

 http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/42/1614/simpler/

Good luck!

Dorian