Dementia doesn’t just take memory. It takes routines, confidence, safety, and your sense of normal. It also steals your time like it’s getting paid by the hour. Let’s say the quiet part out loud: the hardest part isn’t only the work. It’s the grief that keeps happening while the person is still here. That’s emotional whiplash on repeat. If you feel angry, numb, guilty, or all three before breakfast—you’re normal. That’s not you being “bad at caregiving.” That’s you being huma