For some, going around the last bend can be quite disconcerting.  It’s natural (and easier) to want to take care of the feelings of the elderly, and so sometimes they are “protected” from the truth. Not telling someone they’e dying has been dealt with definitively, I hope. What I’m talking about is weakening the individual’s hold on reality  by ushering them into a world of make-believe.  I’m trying to figure out why it is so bothersome. Well, first off it puts the younger person in a one-up position, making decisions for the elderly instead of respecting their ability to withstand the truth. More important, I think, it tends to make the older person into a legitimate paranoid.  What is a legitimate paranoid? In my book it’s one who knows some statements are true, but having trouble deciding which are true and which  are the “protection.”  It kinda turns life into a rotten game, and especially towards the end that is an undesirable state to be in.  I guess what it lacks is respect.  If you disagree, tell me about it.