Dancing With Dementia

There was recently a story on the news about an elderly woman who had been mistreated by her son. She was bed ridden and he was not changing her, cleaning her and was barely feeding her. When the police showed up after being alerted by a neighbor the first thing the woman asked for was food. She was in horrible conditions and was emaciated.
I don't understand the mentality of some people. Why do things like this happen?  How can a son treat his mother this way? Does he not realize that this is the woman who cared for and nurtured him in his younger years. If he couldn't care for her why didn't he seek help?
I admit that there have been a few times where I have been so exasperated that I have had to step away and pull myself together. But what makes someone not be able to put themselves in the other person's shoes.
Everyday I think to myself what Bob must be feeling, thinking and how scared he must be at times.

“Dancing with Dementia”

“As we become more emotional and less cognitive,
it’s the way you talk to us, not what you say,
that we will remember.
We will know the feeling, but don’t know the plot.
Your smile, your laugh and your touch
are what we will connect with...
Just love us as we are. We’re still here,
if only you could find us”

Christine Brydon