A very sad day

Unlike my usual posts, this one is not technical in nature. I've had a really rough day and wanted to record it so I could look back and remember how things went. So today is my birthday, another year older and probably the scariest day of my life so far. This morning around 8:30 my folks called to wish me a happy birthday and when I talked to my dad (who is 76 btw) I noticed he was having a real hard time talking, then he started to slur, at that point I realized something was up. My mom took my dad to the ER and it turns out that he had had a stroke, a couple perhaps. Unfortunately, there was worse news, he has dementia. I guess this explains why my mom has beens saying for a while that my dad is forgetting things, not aware of what's happening, etc. I think the scariest thing, for me at least, is talking to him. He doesn't sound like my dad, and when he talks I just want to hug him and make it better (I guess that's what happens when you yourself are a dad). It seems that he isn't really aware of his diagnosis, so maybe that is a good thing. So have you had a loved one that has gone through this? If so, how did you handle it? What did your family do, did they gather around one another or stay away? I was planning on going to my home town tonight but my mom asked me not to, to give them a few days to work it out. Dad - if you read this, I love you and hope you know what a great dad you are!