How do we approach a "deeply forgetful" loved one so as to notice and affirm their self-identity? Stephen G. Post offers insights on the worth and dignity of people with Alzheimer's and related disorders despite pervasive "hypercognitive" values that emphasize the ethically unacceptable idea that human dignity requires linear rationality and memory. He argues for a dignity grounded in consciousness, emotional presence, creativity, interdependence, music, and a self that is not "gone" but "differently abled." Post guides readers through: understanding the experience of dementia; noticing subtle expressions of selfhood, including "paradoxical lucidity"; caregiver perspectives on ethical quandaries from diagnosis to terminal care; communicating effectively; the value of art, poetry, symbols, personalized music, and nature in revealing self-identity; and the value of "dementia companion" dogs. Book jacket.