I have lived with two people who had dementia. One had Alzheimer’s and the other dementia with zero short-term memory. I know it when I see it.

My mother could present very well to a visitor. She had a vivacious personality and a sharp wit, along with a lotta atty-tood. Her doctor thought she was amazing and lucid. He didn’t stay long enough to have to repeat the conversation twenty times consecutively.

Other times, there were sundowning, agitation, insomnia. The sundowning stopped abiding by the clock when she no longer recognized day from night.

And there were days at a time when she drifted in and out of a half-sleep, no longer differentiating dreams from reality.

To the end, if you engaged her, she remained unusually articulate. Though she could not remember anything but who her kids were.

She was in her mid 90’s when this happened to her.

I’m telling you Joe Biden is much less focused, much less articulate than she was.

And we must acknowledge that the little we are seeing is his best. We are seeing the best, most functional, most lucid parts of his days. To vote for him is to participate in elder abuse.