People are afraid of the stigma it causes and the medications used to treat the condition are not always effective. Once diagnosed, patients will stop taking their medications if they don't feel any different or stop taking them when they feel better because they think they are cured. Many people go their entire lives without a real diagnosis, but they know there is a problem. In “A Worn Path”. Phoenix knows she has a problem. She knows her spirit is leaving her, but she doesn't know she has dementia. The staff at the doctor's office treat Phoenix poorly. It was quickly considered a charitable affair. No one in the office shows any compassion towards Phoenix. There is no offer to arrange transportation for the old woman home. She had to overcome many obstacles to get to the office. She walked, in the cold, to the office. She was pushed into a ditch by a dog and was probably wet, so when she arrived at the office she must have looked disheveled. Compassionate care would have attempted to help her get the services she needed. If staff were concerned that the grandson was alive or dead, they would then send the appropriate agency to come to her home and check the situation. Phoenix needs someone to help him. She would benefit from a true dementia diagnosis because there are medications that could restore her health and she could have fewer episodes of loss.