Articles for tag: Alzheimer’s Disease

July 1, 2023

Learning About Alzheimer’s, Myself, and God

(And Determined to Remember the Forgetting) By Mark A. Taylor I sat with my friend Joan, a gentle, pretty 83-year-old, who is the picture of Southern grace and charm. She was her husband’s caregiver for the seven years he suffered with Alzheimer’s disease, until he died in April 2021. I was interviewing Joan for my website, Unchosen Journey: A Caregiver’s Walk with Alzheimer’s (www.unchosenjourney.com). “How did you cope with his death?” I asked her. “Our 59 years were good years,” she said. “But today I want to remember the hard times.” “Why?” I responded. I wasn’t expecting this—or her reaction

January 23, 2020

Christian Standard

Care & Counseling

We May Forget, But God Does Not

German psychologist and neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer is credited with identifying the first case of “presenile dementia”later called Alzheimer’s diseasein 1906. The 1970s and 1980s brought increasing awareness about Alzheimer’s disease in America. This personal reflection about a person with the disease was written by a Kentucky Christian College professor in 1990. _ _ _ A Parable of Meaning By Charles R. GreshamJanuary 21, 1990; p. 12 . . . One reads of what occurs when Alzheimer’s disease affects a person; one may even watch a television movie that presents Alzheimer’s effects in dramatic fashion; but it only “hits home” when

October 10, 2014

Christian Standard

Christian Living

When Bad Memories Are Good

By Mark Atteberry Every team and every player has a bad day now and then. No matter how good you are, sooner or later you’re going to get schooled by an opponent. When it happens, conventional wisdom says you should just forget about it and move on. But not everyone agrees. Enter Pat Summitt. From 1974 to 2012, Summitt coached the University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team to 1,098 wins, 16 SEC titles, and 8 NCAA Championships. If anybody knows what it takes to win, she does. (Summitt, who has Alzheimer’s disease, now serves as head coach emeritus.) In

September 28, 2014

Christian Standard

Care & Counseling

Do You Suspect Someone You Love Has Alzheimer”s?

The Alzheimer”s Association lists 10 warning signs that may signal Alzheimer”s. A person who has difficulty in one or more of these areas should be evaluated*:Â 1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life 2. Challenges in planning or solving problems 3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure 4. Confusion with time or place 5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships 6. New problems with words in speaking or writing 7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps 8. Decreased or poor judgment 9. Withdrawal from work or social activities 10. Changes in

September 27, 2014

Christian Standard

Care & Counseling

Facing the Darkness as Children of Light

By Paul E. Boatman The words pierced even though they were not a surprise. “Mrs. Boatman, you have persistent and pervasive memory loss of an Alzheimer”s type.” Alzheimer”s! We did not want to hear the “A” word. Alzheimer”s has a dark, hopeless sound to it. My wife, Mary, had been exhibiting patterns of memory loss for a couple of years. The symptoms were occasionally amusing, frequently frustrating, and increasingly intrusive.Â Our initial pursuit of answers was not taken seriously. “We all have forgetfulness as we age.” “Maybe some of your drugs are having adverse side-effects.” (With a history of surgeries

May 16, 2011

Christian Standard

New Testament Theology & Bible

Lesson for May 22, 2011: New Order of Things (Revelation 21:1-8, 22-27)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for May 22) is written by Melissa Wuske, an editor for F+W Media in Cincinnati, Ohio. ____________ New Order of Things (Revelation 21:1-8, 22-27) By Melissa Wuske My grandpa recently died after a far-too-long battle with Alzheimer”s disease. After decades as a faithful husband, father, and leader in the church, he spent the last decade or so of his life struggling to think or speak or remember. He spent the last few years unable to leave his bed on his own, unable to perform the basic daily functions that adults and