This past week we celebrated Corpus Christi – The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. How many of us took time to celebrate, to recognize, and to pray in thanksgiving for the gift of the Eucharist? How many of us savored this solemnity, accompanying our loved ones living with dementia in […]
So much more than the Imagination of Hope Read More »
This past season, I lost two very close family members in short order. One was a shock, the other expected. Regardless of the circumstances that revolve around one’s death, the grief felt by those left here on earth remains strong, overwhelming, and heavy. When that grief intertwines with the holidays, we can find ourselves unaware
Inviting Grief and Joy Intertwine Read More »
The season has changed. Summer has ended and Autumn has begun. So many times throughout our lives we encounter these moments. The end and the beginning, the last time and the first time. We are not always aware of the last time something occurred in our lives the same way we are when something begins.
Forward with Joy: Navigating Endings and Beginnings Read More »
As we continue this month’s special focus on our grandparents (spiritual, adopted, biological) I am reminded of my own. Last Friday, the 14th, marked 18 years since my grandmother’s diagnosis with Vascular Dementia. 18 years of knowing this dementia journey from a personal perspective. That same year, 8 days later, I lost my grandfather. For
Where Dignity and Care Intertwine Read More »
If you found this post and clicked in, you already know the importance of continuing your faith while living with dementia. You know that faith, and our religious traditions, are the foundation of our lives. Our relationship with Christ is the most important relationship we can enter into. So, why does it feel like we
Creative Engagement and the Church Read More »
(Originally posted on dementialettersproject.com in January 2020) There is something about a burnt tea kettle that connects all of us. We seem to have those stories, don’t we? Of a time when we forgot to put water in the kettle and turned on the burner or the time when we put it in the oven
Are We Like a Burnt Tea Kettle? Read More »
(Originally posted on Dementialettersproject.com in July 2020) Home, a topic that comes up more than we can count when talking about aging and dementia. We are constantly on the quest to find the best response to the question, “I want to go home” and we prance around with discomfort when the question, “Is it still
Do we truly believe that an individual with dementia can be fully alive? I think most of us would answer a resounding, YES!, but do our actions back that “yes” up? I think we fall short on that “yes” time and time again. Heck, replace “dementia” with “older adult,” and I think we fail yet
The Glory of God is a Human Fully Alive Read More »
(Originally posted on Dementialettersproject.com March 2018) Cor ad Cor. Heart to Heart. This was my college’s motto. As you walked campus you saw it on flags, in print materials, on our school’s website, and heard it from time to time in lectures and gatherings. I have not thought of the phrase in several years, until
(Originally posted on Dementialettersproject.com in March 2021) As we draw closer to Holy Week, to the death and Resurrection of Christ, I am reminded of the time Christ’s disciples spent in the upper room, partly in fear, partly in doubt (St. Thomas I am looking at you!), partly in joy, waiting for the next sign.
The Upper Room After Care Read More »
(Originally from dementialettersproject.com on January 2018) Have we become complacent in care? In Life Enrichment? Have we thrown around term “Person-Centered Care” so much that it has lost meaning? Have we felt a lingering burnout and forget to become relational with the person we are caring for? Far too often when a new employee comes
Happy Thanksgiving! As we prepare our tables, our turkeys, and our homes for our Thanksgiving celebrations, might we take a moment to prepare our day for those who have dementia. Holidays, especially the kind with lots of movement, people, and conversations, can be more of a nightmare more than a celebration for those living with
Thanksgiving With Your Loved Ones Read More »
(Originally Posted on Dementialettersproject.com February 2018) When dementia and forgiveness are thrown into the same sentence it is common to first think of forgiving the person with dementia, to reconcile past hurts and wrongdoings. But, what about other family members? What about forgiving brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins? What about forgiving ourselves? What about the
To Seek Forgiveness Read More »
(Originally posted on dementialettersproject.com in September 2017) Every Sunday I scroll through the obituary pages. I hold my breath as I follow the list and pray I don’t recognize a name. I breathe a sigh of relief when I get to the bottom and I didn’t recognize a name, or, like what has happened a
What Dementia Can Not Destroy Read More »
(Originally posted on Dementialettersproject.com in May 2017) To begin, we define. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Dementia isn’t a specific disease. Instead, dementia describes a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily functioning. Though dementia generally involves memory loss, memory loss has different causes. So memory loss
(Originally Posted on Dementialettersproject.com May 2017) My Grandma Marie’s signature is on everything I do. Well, you can argue that all of my grandparents and parents have their signature on my life as well, but when looking specifically at dementia, it is my Grandma Marie. My grandma had Vascular Dementia and lived with the disease
(From the Archives) As some of you may know, I have started a ministry that partners my work with those living with dementia. It is called the St. Dymphna Dementia Ministry. Today May 15th is St. Dymphna’s feast day. She lived in Ireland in the 7th century and in addition to being known as a patron
Faith and Dementia Read More »