Is dementia a curable disease?

I spent the last 16 years working in assisted living facilities, and I took care of many people with varying types and severities of dementia and Alzheimer’s. I knew some who didn’t appear to have any memory deficits, and some couldn’t remember something from 30 seconds ago. I can say with absolute certainty, many of the people I cared for had moments of clarity and would recognize that they were losing their memories, and forgetting how to take care of basic needs. One resident, in particular, sticks out in my mind. For the first couple of years, she didn’t seem to have any memory loss. She knew that when we woke her, it meant that she should use the bathroom, take off her pajamas, dress, and go get medication and breakfast. She knew how to read a clock, and knew when her favorite activities were going to take place. She knew the names of the staff, and even helped new residents learn their way around the building. Then, she developed a bad cold, that evolved into bronchitis, then pneumonia. She went to the ER, and wound up in ICU for several weeks, fighting to beat the infection in her lungs. She recovered, and after almost 2 months, she returned home. When she returned, many of my coworkers would leave her room looking upset, and they warned me that she was not the same woman we sent to the hospital. When the day came that I was assigned to help her get ready for bed, I went to her room and found that she had already “dressed for bed”. She had tried to do it for herself, but had forgotten that she needed to remove her slacks, shirt,and sweater before pulling on her pajamas. I patiently helped her remove the clothes she had worn all day, then helped her finish her bedtime routine. I tucked her in, and left her room. I sat and cried in my boss’s office, heartbroken over the vast change in my charge. A few weeks later, I was helping her again, and she abruptly sat down on the edge of her bed and started to cry. She looked at me and said that she wished God would just take her, because she was scared of the fact that she was losing her memories of her children and grandchildren. I comforted her, and assured her that her family would still love her and be there for her, memories or no memories.

Long story short: Yes, dementia patients can and do recognize that they are losing their memories, and they can get scared and frustrated.