Second Forgetting

Dr. Benjamin Mast, Ph.D, is a licensed clinical psychologist, Associate Professor in Psychological & Brain Sciences and Geriatric Medicine at the University of Louisville, and an elder at Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, Kentucky.  

Chapter 1 - Remembering This introductory chapter will set the stage for the importance of remembering in everyday life with particular attention given to God's call to remember him, what he has done and what he has prom-ised. The concept of the second forgetting will be introduced and linked to the way we think about the spiritual care of people with Alzheimer's disease. Chapter 2 - What is Alzheimer's disease? This chapter provides an up to date description of Alzheimer's disease, including its effects and treatment. Case examples will be incorporated to demonstrate the various ways that Alzheimer's can manifest itself in daily life. The intention here is to educate readers on the basics of Alzheimer's disease. Chapter 3 - Forgetting The nature of memory problems in Alzheimer's disease will be described in detail with attention both to problematic areas of remembering and aspects of memory that are generally preserved. This lays the foundation for later chapters which emphasize how to help people with Alzheimer's respond to God's call to remember. Chapter 4 - The Gospel for Those With Alzheimers The gospel transforms all of life, including the way we think about and care for people with Alz-heimer's disease. Drawing on Biblical themes of creation, fall, redemption and restoration, this chapter retells the story of Alzheimer's disease in the context of God's story. Understanding the person and their struggle with Alzheimer's disease in this context promotes a loving and honoring approach to a vulnerable, confusing and frightening stage of life. Chapter 5 - The Gospel for Caregivers Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease brings unique challenges that impact whole families. Caregivers often live with feelings of burden, guilt and anger, and struggle with painful questions about God's presence and plan in their lives. The gospel speaks to their situation with a way to understand their suffering, grace for their limitations, and a renewed hope for restoration. Drawing on scripture and the personal stories of caregivers, this chapter highlights the challenges of caregiving and the way the gospel transforms this part of their story. Chapter 6 - A Unique Ministry of Mercy Most churches have some form of mercy and care ministry. This chapter will describe how churches can focus their mercy and care efforts on people with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers. At-tention will be given to the unique challenges of caring for these individuals and how these chal-lenges can be addressed by the church. Chapter 7 - Recalling Stories of Faith Remembering our stories of faith and their connection to God's larger story are critical for under-standing the struggles and confusions of daily life. This chapter describes how the rehearsal and retelling of our stories can be connected to what scripture explains about who God is, what he has done and what he has promised. Practical methods for helping people with Alzheimer's disease re-connect with and rehearse their faith journey (including key relationships and faith milestones) can be used to promote a form of remembering that brings peace, comfort, and reassurance. These include practical life review and reminiscence techniques which will be provided along with specific questions and worksheets that ministry leaders and families can use. Chapter 8 - Helping Others Remember In addition to rehearsing our stories, there are many other methods that can be employed by care-givers and the church more broadly to promote remembering the Lord and his goodness. This chapter will describe how the essentials of the gospel can be rehearsed and remembered in a meaningful fashion through the combined use of the sacraments (e.g., communion), well-known scripture passages, music and liturgy. Emphasis will be placed on methods that are familiar, easy to incorporate, and which maximize understanding. This chapter will also highlight the ways that ministry leaders mi