Dementia
Subtitle: living in the memories of God
By: John Swinton
Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Grand Rapids, Mich
Language: eng
Number of pages: 298
ISBN-13: 9780802867162
Subjects: Patients; Dementia; Religious life; Christianity; Memory
Description: Dementia is one of the most feared diseases in Western society today. Some have even gone so far as to suggest euthanasia as a solution to the perceived indignity of memory loss and the disorientation that accompanies it. In this book John Swinton develops a practical theology of dementia for caregivers, people with dementia, ministers, hospital chaplains, and medical practitioners as he explores two primary questions: Who am I when I've forgotten who I am? What does it mean to love God and be loved by God when I have forgotten who God is? Offering compassionate and carefully considered theological and pastoral responses to dementia and forgetfulness, Swinton's Dementia: Living in the Memories of God redefines dementia in light of the transformative counter story that is the gospel.
Table of contents: title: Practical theology of dementia; title: Redescribing dementia: starting from the right place; title: Fragmentation of persons and the creation of typical people; title: Moving beyond the standard paradigm: from defectology to relationships; title: Problem with personhood: why it might not be such a good idea for people to be persons; title: Relational personhood and the vanishing self:is there a person in person-centered care?; title: Personhood and humanness:importance of being a creature; title: Living in the memories of God: memory and divine embrace; title: Becoming friends of time: learning to live in the present moment; title: Hospitality among strangers: Christian communities as places of belonging.