daniel.industriesMeaning Dementia
There is an older gentleman at my church who appears to be suffering from some degree of dementia. The first feeling I experience when I see him is jealousy. His non-present presence. His sublime unperturbedness. Then I feel sympathy for his wife and daughter, who tenderly care for him, explain what is happening even though those words won’t land, and guide him from donuts and coffee to the sanctuary. But still, more jealousy, to be cared for that way. Then I realize that I’m part of the way there already–the social awkwardness, the inability to remember much of anything anymore, the wandering mind, the lack of drive or feeling of any real motivation. If any of those continue to progress the way they have been for the last decade, all that will remain will be the clinical diagnosis.
