It depends on the people involved. My Mom doesn't have true dementia, but zero short term memory. So when I visit we can have a 'reasonable' conversation for maybe 15 or 20 mins. After that the subject matter is exhausted and there would be a lot of dead air if not for some tv stimulation. It gives us more to comment on, and maybe a topic to carry on from there. It might bring up some memory for her--like the picker guys finding some antique and she relates it to something from her past that we can talk about.
Because she lives hundreds of miles away, when I go to visit I want to spend a good part of the day at her facility. Often when I arrive her tv is not on and we do talk for awhile. But as I say, then I'm searching for things to talk about with her that she can relate to or remember. I will be the one to turn the tv on, and for example it's Family Feud, she knows enough of what's going on that we can comment on the game, laugh at the answers or Steve Harvey, etc. We are enjoying it together. (As I said in previous post, the other shows went on for hours, and while we did talk about what went on, it was tedious for me. But I figure she probably thought the same when she had to do things for/with me when I was a kid. It's my turn to be patient! 
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