The booklet traces the development of dementia in his mother, Kate, who is a resident at the Western North Carolina Baptist Retirement Home in Asheville. The letters cover a nine-year period and include glimpses of her life. In relating to a dementia patient, recognize there is nothing shameful or demeaning related to contracting a dementia-related disease.
Brains can decline in their power to function just as knees can wear out.
There is no more stigma related to one than there is to the other. Dementia simply means that the connectors between brain cells do not connect that well any more. For those who live into their 80s, half will experience a measure of dementia. Give thanks for the goodness of the past even as you accept the reality of the present. As your loved one quotes a Bible verse she still remembers, which amazes you because she cannot remember your name, you may recall the days she taught Bible verses to you.