Empathy helps us connect with another person on a deep feeling level and although we are not having exactly the experience they are, we can get a sense of how they might feel. This helps us connect to our compassion and extend that toward the person. An emphatic response reminds us that we are not alone, that we can be understood and that someone is interested in being with us in all sorts of weather. It breaks down walls and through the confines of the stigmas of dementia.