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Strength While Weak: Facing a Loved Ones Alzheimer’s
Today I have a guest blogger, Canadian Nancy Rempel. Nancy has served for decades as a cross-cultural worker in the Middle East and elsewhere. She enjoys the beautiful Canadian countryside and writing accounts of the ways God has worked in her life. Nancy is husband to Don and mother and mother-in-law to two adult sons and one daughter-in-law. In the dead of night, I could hear the commotion through my earplugs. Voices. Banging. Shuffling around. The light from my parents’ room glared under my bedroom door. Roused from my sleep, I slipped out into the hallway, unprepared for the drama. It was 2003, and I was 47 years old. I…
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In The Lingering Light–A Book Encouraging Caregivers
I interviewed my friend Cynthia Fantasia about her new book In the Lingering Light: Courage and Hope for the Alzheimer's Caregiver. For you caregivers, Cynthia's honestly and vulnerablity about her personal journey is truly a gift. I've already given books to two friends, knowing that it will encourage them and provide wisdom as they care for their husbands. For me, the book was a great help in understanding more of what it means to be a caregiver to those with memory loss. I believe it's a must read for ministers, as well as famly and friends of caregivers. One of the things that I loved about In the Lingering Light…
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20 Ways to Care for the Caregiver
Many of my friends and family members have parents with Alzheimer’s. Others have loved ones in assisted living who require additional attention. Caring for them well is the right thing to do (1 Tim. 5:4, 16). But the caregivers also need care. Research indicates that about a third of caregivers die before the person for whom they’re caring. It kind of makes sense. Caregivers have little time to get to their own doctor appointments. They’re sick of sitting in clinics with loved ones. And they put off routine care. So they may miss the benefits of early detection. Many of those to whom we minister are caring for others, and…
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Memories, A Legacy or Lifeline?
A popular storyline recurring regularly recounts the tragedy of a person who loses their memory due to some tragic event. Then, beset with amnesia, the hero searches for what has been lost and the story unfolds. Remembering and recovering becomes a victory. In a similar way, the devastating illness of Alzheimer’s robs a person of their memories and devastates those who love them. Losing the lifeline of memories becomes a living heartbreak. Memories represent the legacy of a life and become a lifeline . Yet as I was reminded by a young pastor some years ago Jesus knows we are a forgetful people. He instituted a special meal to jog…
