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Dementia
10
Things You Need to Know about Dementia
.
Dementia is one of the tragedies of life that forces us to
cry out to God - but even in our desperation we can recognize God has purpose
in it God does not make mistakes - His purpose may be in the life of the
victim, the caregivers, society as a whole, or all three
John Dunlop
Author
"You ask, can someone with dementia sin? Of course
they can! In the early stages of dementia people are still cognizant of their
actions and responsible for what they do. They are able to repent, confess and
ask for forgiveness.
“However, I believe that there comes a time in the latter
stages when they have little concept of where they are and what they are doing.
“Suppose that one in the last stages of dementia picks up
a knife in anger and stabs someone—and within minutes the act is entirely
forgotten. Their behavior is certainly sinful.
“However, it is not possible for that demented one to deal
appropriately with the consequences — including confession and repentance in
order to receive forgiveness.
In
this case I can’t imagine that God would hold this sin against the demented
one. God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness will surely be forthcoming.
“Now, let’s be clear that no one goes to Heaven based on whether
or not they have unforgiven sin when they die.
“When we received Christ all of our sins were forever
forgiven. Nothing we can do in the future can take away salvation — whether we
lose our minds or not (Read
Romans 8:28-39).
“Those in the final stages can certainly commit sinful
acts. But, it matters little whether or not they ask for forgiveness. According
to the Bible, the blood Jesus shed on the cross covers all of our sin." - Dr. Roger
Barrier
Here
are 10 things you should know about dementia from Dr. John Dunlop:
1. Dementia is already
a common tragedy and will become more common.
Every time Jan came to my office she would smile and tell
me “old age is not for cowards.”
She would always laugh, proud of her originality but
oblivious to the fact that in her dementia she had told me the same many times.
Indeed, dementia is one of the greatest challenges of
aging. And as life expectancy increases, dementia will be all the more common.
It is estimated that over one-third of today’s seniors
will die with some degree of dementia.
2. Dementia has many causes other than Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s
disease causes roughly 70% of dementia, but many other diseases lead to it as
well, such as multiple strokes and Parkinson’s.
There
is no stereotypic case and each person with dementia must be approached differently.
3. Dementia
slowly progresses.
Most
types of dementia slowly get worse. The average life expectancy after diagnosis
is seven years, but it may be as long as twenty.
4. Dementia has some
purpose in God’s sovereign plan.
Dementia is one of the tragedies of life that forces us to
cry out to God.
But even in our desperation we can recognize God has
purpose in it. “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose
for me” (Psalm 57:2).
God does not make mistakes. His purpose may be in the life
of the victim, the caregivers, society as a whole, or all three.
One of the challenges of dementia is to recognize those
purposes and get in line with them.
5. All people with
dementia are made in the image of God and deserve to be treated with dignity
and respect.
Being made in the image of God is true of all human beings
from the best to the worst of us.
It is not dependent on functional abilities or IQ. Martin
Luther King Jr. spoke rightly when he said “There are no gradations in the
image of God.”
The image of God imparts a dignity to all people and
demands our respect.
6. There is no good
medical treatment for dementia.
One of the best ways to improve the quality of life of those
with dementia is to respect their God-given dignity.
7. A good way to show
respect for the dignity of those with dementia is to understand how they see
the world and see things as they see them.
When my mother in her dementia thought I was my dad, my
response was not to correct and belittle her but to say “I love you, Lois.”
I spoke the truth and she was affirmed. We must also show
respect by providing for their physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs
even though it may be difficult to understand what they are.
8. In many cases
giving care to those with dementia is harder than experiencing dementia itself.
The early stages of dementia can be very frustrating for a
patient increasingly conscious of their cognitive decline.
As the disease progresses many are quite content living in
the present tense. They are not bothered by mistakes of the past and do not
worry about the future.
I remember Helen, a dear saint who had spent her life
serving the Lord in Africa.
She had developed severe dementia and was living in a
dementia care facility.
I would frequently see her telling stories from her years
on the mission field to an attentive group gathered round.
As she got to the end of the story she would slap her
thigh and everyone had a good laugh.
What did it matter that she told the same five stories
over and over again? Everyone was having a grand time.
9. Dementia is a
terminal disease and aggressive measures to prolong life are rarely appropriate
or God-honoring.
In the advanced stages of dementia, when the patient is
unable to eat, it is not appropriate to use feeding tubes or to attempt
resuscitation in the event of cardiac arrest.
10. Dementia like all
other diseases will be healed.
The hope of all Christians is to live eternally in the
presence of God.
Heaven will be a time to experience the
glory of God in ways impossible while confined to our present bodies and
brains.
There will be no more dementia, and those afflicted by
dementia will say with all other believers, “I shall know fully even as I
have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).
This article was originally published on Crossway.org and is
adapted from the book Finding Grace in the Face of
Dementia by John Dunlop, MD. Used with permission. To read the
text-only version on Crosswalk please click here.
John Dunlop (MD, Johns Hopkins University) serves as an
adjunct professor at Trinity International
University and practices geriatrics in New Haven, Connecticut, where he is
affiliated with Yale School of Medicine. Dunlop is the author of Finishing
Well to the Glory of God: Strategies from a Christian Physician and Wellness
for the Glory of God: Living Well After 40 with Joy and Contentment in All of
Life.
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