Theology - Our Picks
Swinton, John, Dementia: Living in the Memories of God, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans (2012). Watch a lecture.
John Swinton received the 2016 Michael Ramsey award for his book Dementia: Living in the Memories of God. He is a professor in the School of Divinity at University of Aberdeen in Scotland. One of his goals is to find ways to access the spiritual lives of people with advanced dementia. He relates dementia to other disabilities and through that lens reaches the conclusion that our understanding of being human is culturally dependent. So for our western culture, independence, rationality and productivity are related to humanness. It is in economic terms. But this picture is wrong in fact – we are all dependent to some degree, we all make irrational decisions, we are sometimes not productive, and we are sometimes forgetful. This does not reduce our humanity. People with dementia remind us of our dependence, and this can make us uncomfortable. Swinton adds that salvation comes through brokenness.
Swinton asks two key questions –
Who am I when I've forgotten who I am? Swinton answers by quoting Schleiermacher who says that God is “given and present in and with the feeling of absolute dependence.” So it doesn’t matter who we think we are, it only matters that we are in relationship to God. Swinton writes, “Absolute dependence is the true state of all human beings.” We are not all that different, dementia or no dementia. We are far more than “bundles of memories.” By the end of the book, Swinton says he is no longer troubled by the question, Who am I? because the answer lies in the hands of God.
What does it mean to love God and be loved by God when I have forgotten who God is? Swinton turns to Jeremiah and comes up with something similar to what Karl Barth said – God seeks us more than we seek God. “I, the LORD, test the mind and search the heart, to give all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.” (Jer 17:10) And further, he writes, “Knowing about God may not be as important as knowing God, and knowing God involves so much more than memory, intellect and cognition.” Swinton doesn’t fear dementia as long as he is certain that God will remember him and that “the people of God’s memory, the church, will continue to love him and keep him safe.”
Kevern, Peter, "'I pray that I will not fall over the edge': What is Left of Faith after Dementia?" Practical Theology, 4 (2011), doi: 10.1558/prth.v4i3.283.
Kevern, Peter, "What sort of God is to be found in dementia? A survey of theological responses and an agenda for their development.” Theology 113 (2010) No. 873, 174-82.
John Swinton received the 2016 Michael Ramsey award for his book Dementia: Living in the Memories of God. He is a professor in the School of Divinity at University of Aberdeen in Scotland. One of his goals is to find ways to access the spiritual lives of people with advanced dementia. He relates dementia to other disabilities and through that lens reaches the conclusion that our understanding of being human is culturally dependent. So for our western culture, independence, rationality and productivity are related to humanness. It is in economic terms. But this picture is wrong in fact – we are all dependent to some degree, we all make irrational decisions, we are sometimes not productive, and we are sometimes forgetful. This does not reduce our humanity. People with dementia remind us of our dependence, and this can make us uncomfortable. Swinton adds that salvation comes through brokenness.
Swinton asks two key questions –
Who am I when I've forgotten who I am? Swinton answers by quoting Schleiermacher who says that God is “given and present in and with the feeling of absolute dependence.” So it doesn’t matter who we think we are, it only matters that we are in relationship to God. Swinton writes, “Absolute dependence is the true state of all human beings.” We are not all that different, dementia or no dementia. We are far more than “bundles of memories.” By the end of the book, Swinton says he is no longer troubled by the question, Who am I? because the answer lies in the hands of God.
What does it mean to love God and be loved by God when I have forgotten who God is? Swinton turns to Jeremiah and comes up with something similar to what Karl Barth said – God seeks us more than we seek God. “I, the LORD, test the mind and search the heart, to give all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.” (Jer 17:10) And further, he writes, “Knowing about God may not be as important as knowing God, and knowing God involves so much more than memory, intellect and cognition.” Swinton doesn’t fear dementia as long as he is certain that God will remember him and that “the people of God’s memory, the church, will continue to love him and keep him safe.”
Kevern, Peter, "'I pray that I will not fall over the edge': What is Left of Faith after Dementia?" Practical Theology, 4 (2011), doi: 10.1558/prth.v4i3.283.
Kevern, Peter, "What sort of God is to be found in dementia? A survey of theological responses and an agenda for their development.” Theology 113 (2010) No. 873, 174-82.
Science - Our Picks
Bredesen, Dale E, Amos, EC, Canick, J, Ackerley, M, Raji, C, Fiala, M , Ahdidan, J, “Reversal of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease,” Aging 8 No. 6 (June 2016).
Erickson, Kirk, et al., "Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108 (2011) 3017-3022.
Hood, Leroy, “Systems Approach to Complex Diseases and the Emergence of Proactive P4 Medicine,” Russ Prize Lecture, 2011.
Jacobsen, Jorn-Henrik et al., “Why musical memory can be preserved in advanced Alzheimer’s disease,” Brain 138 (2015) 2438–2450.
Newberg, Andrew, "The Spiritual Brain: Science and Religious Experience," The Great Courses, 2012.
Sevigny, Jeff et al., “The antibody aducanumab reduces Aβ plaques in Alzheimer’s disease,” Nature 50 (2016) 50-58. Doi:10.1038/nature19323.
Sevigny took the body's naturally occurring cells for cleaning up excess plaque and figured out what part of the cell is doing the job, and they made only that part in the lab - the "antibody" (it's a protein). This is a common strategy, to copy what nature already knows how to do, and to make the medicine so you can give higher doses of it.
82 patients with mild Alzheimer's took monthly IV infusions of the drug and 83 took a placebo for one year. They were scanned for plaques. The people who took low amounts of the drug improved somewhat, and those with higher amounts of the drug improved more. Those with the placebo did not improve. 40 people dropped out due to side effects. They were given memory tests. Those who took the drug stayed the same. Those who took the placebo declined some.
Sperling, RA et al., Toward defining preclinical stages of Alzheimer’s disease, Alzheimers Dement. 7 (2011) 280-92.
Sweatt, J. David, Mechanisms of Memory, Amsterdam: Elsevier (2010).
Alzheimer’s US Department of Health and Human Services
National Institute on Aging; Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center
On the Value of Music
Oliver Sacks and Henry
Naomi Feil and Gladys Wilson
Diane Rehm Show: How Music Can Help Patients Recover From Surgery and Strokes
Naomi Feil and Gladys Wilson
Diane Rehm Show: How Music Can Help Patients Recover From Surgery and Strokes
Dementia-Friendly Congregations
Livability (England) delivers disability and community projects around the UK, working with churches for change. Their Dementia Friendly Church project helps churches become more accessible and inclusive for people with dementia and their caregivers. The Church of England, among others, has adopted this movement. Click here for their GUIDE.
Bob Friedrich and Bob Woods, "Developing dementia friendly churches," J. of Dementia Care 24 no. 6 (2016).
Naomi Feil, the developer of Validation Therapy, see her TED talk
Kathy Berry, When Words Fail: Practical Ministry to People with Dementia and Their Caregivers, Centennial CO: FaithHappening Publishers (2016).
Kathy is chaplain at Westminster Canterbury Richmond Retirement Community, Richmond VA and has conducted clergy trainings on dementia for over 300 clergy. Her DVD and a free study guide are also available.
Loretta Woodward Veney, Being My Mom's Mom - A Journey Through Dementia from a Daughter's Perspective. A truthful and moving story of one family's challenges.
The Rev. Jade Angelica – Healing Moments programs for professional caregivers, family and informal caregivers, and faith communities. The mission is to improve the quality of life for persons with Alzheimer's and dementia, reduce caregiver stress, and inspire a hopeful attitude. The intent is to help caregivers and communities develop a deeper understanding of these diseases, and nurture the belief that meaningful relationships remain possible throughout all the stages of dementia.
Deborah Selsavage - offers "ABC of Dementia" workshops to churches in the Florida area through Coping with Dementia LLC.
Seviah Life Beyond Memory - a project in New York led by Rabbi Michael Goldman built on companionship, connection and community.
Dementia Friendly America was kicked off by the Obama White House in 2015. The vision is a network of businesses, care homes, civic organizations, government, hospitals, churches and others who become educated about and share a particular concern for people with dementia. The idea is to improve quality of life and to help them to stay in their homes - and to support critical caregivers who are often unpaid. There is a focus on underserved: rural, Hispanic and urban African American. Prince George’s County and Montgomery County in Maryland are participating. DFA is based on work in England and by "ACT on Alzheimer’s" and 34 dementia friendly communities in Minnesota. Senator Bill Frist, the national spokesperson, said, “Starting in these communities, we’re building a nationwide effort to educate Americans about dementia, equip business owners and first responders to recognize and assist those with memory loss, and empower people with Alzheimer’s and dementia to engage independently and safely in community life for as long as possible.” The Prince George's County Lead is Gloria Lawlah (ggglawlah2013@gmail.com) and the Montgomery County Community Lead is Lylie Fisher (lylie.fisher@montgomerycountymd.gov).
The Visitors Program for People with Dementia – an interfaith effort of Montgomery County clergy, health and social service professional to provide visitors to residents in nursing homes who do not receive regular visits from family or friends. Through Am Kolel Jewish Renewal Community of Greater Washington, Rabbi David Shneyer or Dr. Gilah Rosner.
Bute, Jennifer - A doctor with dementia speaks about her life.
Bob Friedrich and Bob Woods, "Developing dementia friendly churches," J. of Dementia Care 24 no. 6 (2016).
Naomi Feil, the developer of Validation Therapy, see her TED talk
Kathy Berry, When Words Fail: Practical Ministry to People with Dementia and Their Caregivers, Centennial CO: FaithHappening Publishers (2016).
Kathy is chaplain at Westminster Canterbury Richmond Retirement Community, Richmond VA and has conducted clergy trainings on dementia for over 300 clergy. Her DVD and a free study guide are also available.
Loretta Woodward Veney, Being My Mom's Mom - A Journey Through Dementia from a Daughter's Perspective. A truthful and moving story of one family's challenges.
The Rev. Jade Angelica – Healing Moments programs for professional caregivers, family and informal caregivers, and faith communities. The mission is to improve the quality of life for persons with Alzheimer's and dementia, reduce caregiver stress, and inspire a hopeful attitude. The intent is to help caregivers and communities develop a deeper understanding of these diseases, and nurture the belief that meaningful relationships remain possible throughout all the stages of dementia.
Deborah Selsavage - offers "ABC of Dementia" workshops to churches in the Florida area through Coping with Dementia LLC.
Seviah Life Beyond Memory - a project in New York led by Rabbi Michael Goldman built on companionship, connection and community.
Dementia Friendly America was kicked off by the Obama White House in 2015. The vision is a network of businesses, care homes, civic organizations, government, hospitals, churches and others who become educated about and share a particular concern for people with dementia. The idea is to improve quality of life and to help them to stay in their homes - and to support critical caregivers who are often unpaid. There is a focus on underserved: rural, Hispanic and urban African American. Prince George’s County and Montgomery County in Maryland are participating. DFA is based on work in England and by "ACT on Alzheimer’s" and 34 dementia friendly communities in Minnesota. Senator Bill Frist, the national spokesperson, said, “Starting in these communities, we’re building a nationwide effort to educate Americans about dementia, equip business owners and first responders to recognize and assist those with memory loss, and empower people with Alzheimer’s and dementia to engage independently and safely in community life for as long as possible.” The Prince George's County Lead is Gloria Lawlah (ggglawlah2013@gmail.com) and the Montgomery County Community Lead is Lylie Fisher (lylie.fisher@montgomerycountymd.gov).
The Visitors Program for People with Dementia – an interfaith effort of Montgomery County clergy, health and social service professional to provide visitors to residents in nursing homes who do not receive regular visits from family or friends. Through Am Kolel Jewish Renewal Community of Greater Washington, Rabbi David Shneyer or Dr. Gilah Rosner.
Bute, Jennifer - A doctor with dementia speaks about her life.