Harry Urban, living with Alzheimer’s disease, often challenges the assumptions others made about dementia.
In these three reflections from October, Harry explores the world as he experiences it—a world that sometimes offers peace, beauty, and freedom from the struggles of everyday life.
He asks us to consider whether our understanding of reality must always take precedence over the experience of the person living with dementia.
His words invite us not simply to correct or redirect, but first to listen and try to understand.
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03Oct2026
Somewhere over the rainbow is the life I am seeking. Peace, harmony and everyone loving each other. No more living in fear, just sitting on a fluffy cloud gazing at all the beauty that was created.
I know my world exists and someday I will find it. Until then, I will continue in this world and dream about my magical world. Next time you ask me what I am thinking about, you will know.
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04Oct2026
I love the world I live in. In your world you are judged good or bad by your political beliefs. In my world we are all the same, we may have different forms of dementia, but our problems are similar.
We are struggling with our lives which gives us a different perspective in life. We don’t get caught up in the drama in your world and we appear to be isolated. In your world you are fighting for things that will never change, in my world we are fighting and making changes.
You love your world and I love mine. Someday you may join me and see why.
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07Oct2026
When someone with dementia loses their grip on reality, is it a bad thing? Generally, we think it is bad and they are losing their battle with dementia. We do whatever is possible to bring them back from the horrors they see and feel.
We don’t even stop and think that maybe they are safe and free from their disease. We may not even know we are pulling their safety net out from underneath them because they don’t want you to know.
We tend to spend more time on our thoughts, and this scares you. You try to keep us busy and active but there are times we just want to escape and get away from our dementia.
It makes you wonder if I’m losing my battle with dementia or are you.
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These reflections were originally shared by Harry Urban on Facebook in October 2026. They are preserved here as part of the Dementia Symptom Perspectives collection, honoring the voices and lived experiences of people with dementia.
Harry’s original words have been retained.
Harry’s index page is at .https://truthfulkindness.com/index-persons-with-dementia-pwd/harry-urban/.. .
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* Library Notes — This page is part of the Library – Voices of People Living with Dementia at TruthfulKindness.com. It has been prepared by Truthful Loving Kindness (Truthful Kindness) to help preserve pathways to the writings and lived experiences of people living with dementia. * Unless otherwise indicated, the words above are those of the original author. Copyright remains with the respective author or their estate. My introductory comments and editorial notes are Copyright © Truthful L. Kindness, 18Oct2026 (w/1hr invested). * If you have comments about my page, please use the comment section below. Questions regarding the original author or original publication should be directed to the original source whenever possible. * Nothing in this page is intended as medical or legal advice. The purpose of this library is educational: to help preserve, organize, and share the lived experiences of people living with dementia. * . *** … If there are advertisements on this page, I have no control over what is shown.
*** tags: alzheimers, dementia, dementia perspectives, Harry Urban, lived experience, Persons Living with Dementia, PLwD, symptoms. ******* Add to Pgs/Harry’s index, S&S Categ: Choices/Decisions, Comfort, Hope.
short summary: In these three reflections, Harry Urban explores the comfort of his inner world and challenges assumptions about reality, dementia, and the need to bring someone back into our own understanding of the world. His words encourage us to listen before correcting, and to recognize that an inner refuge may offer peace amid the struggles of dementia.
