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I saw my parents rally every time my brother would come from another state. I'd have prepared my brother for all of this terrible change, and then he'd come and they'd perk up and make me look like an idiot! As soon as he'd leave, they'd revert to their pre-visit stage. The excitement seemed to give them energy.   I also saw unexplainable incidences with my dad. We'd be talking, and he'd suddenly become "Dad as we knew him." I could see it in his eyes. He's be talking directly to me and he'd say something profound like, "My universe has gotten so small." Then he'd go right back into dementia.   A student where I was doing a book reading said to me that she'd never known her grandma without Alzheimer's. Her grandma didn't know her anymore. Yet one day, she was hugging her grandma goodbye and said, "I love you, Grandma." Her grandma said clearly, "I love you, too, Anna." Then Grandma went back into dementia.   Who knows what people with Alzheimer's see? They may see things we can't. I wouldn't sell them short. And the fact that many go up and down in abilities and in and our of dementia isn't all that uncomon. Life changes make a difference.   One more example. My mother-in-law had been widowed and was alone in her own condo. I visited every day and made her lunch and such. But the paranoia was getting terrible. She wrote her name over and over, as if she was trying to remember who she was.   We moved her into a nearby nursing home and she was address by her first name, cared for with love and she ablsolutely blossomed. I still visited every day. She even went back to playing the piano. This lasted for a couple of years, until an illness weakened her.   We'll never be able to explain everything. Each person is unique. Enjoy the "good times," knowing they will pass and more decline will happen. Enjoy, but be prepared.   Take care, Carol