 It's going to get worse, and it gets worse very quickly. My stepfather had a very small stroke, didn't incapacitate him physically at all. He died within two weeks of leaving the hospital, and he had severe dementia. Whoa. Right. And it was heartbreaking. It was so hard to see him. Remember his old California Highway Patrol days from 20, 30 years ago, but he couldn't remember what you just saw.