Where you do not want to go: Reflecting on what it means to follow Jesus when living with dementia, through the lens of the Gospel of John
By Jennifer Morrill Fabrizi
Dementia is an overall term for conditions that occur when the brain no longer functions
properly. Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common cause of dementia, results in problems
with memory, thinking, and behavior. The average life expectancy after diagnosis is eight years.
An estimated 44 million people globally live with some type of dementia. Concern about 1
developing dementia is very common. In a study by the Insurance company MetLife, published
in 2011, they found that 31% of adults surveyed ranked dementia as the illness they feared the
most from a list that included cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. The Alzheimer Society 2
in the UK from 2016 had an even more dismal outlook: 62% of respondents said they feared
dementia more than any other disease and believed that receiving a diagnosis of dementia meant
their ‘life was over.’
In my experience as a lay chaplain supporting people with dementia and their families
and in the many conversations about dementia that arise when people find out what I do for a
living, I have encountered several concerns about the implications of a diagnosis of dementia for
someone’s faith. Concerning matters of faith, I have encountered anxiety as to whether or not a
person with dementia is culpable for the sins they commit; whether someone’s salvation is at
stake if they ‘blew it’ by presumably falling away after all the hard work they did to live a holy life?
Most people can be easily reassured that one is not culpable for sins committed when one
has dementia (or whether negative behaviors constitute sin at all, given the lack of reason).
However, the reduction of concerns about the spiritual life to whether or not our sins ‘still
count’ seems to support the prevailing view that a person’s life is effectively over once they are
diagnosed with dementia; that their spiritual journey at least is on hold until death comes. But is
there more to the spiritual life of the person with dementia than just maintaining a holding
pattern of avoiding sin? Is there more to supporting the faith journey for these disciples than
providing comfort, connection, and a sense of identity through the familiarity of cherished
hymns, prayers, and rituals? This is not to minimize the incredible value and sense of spiritual
well-being that these practices elicit for the person with dementia — but I am asking us to go
deeper. Can I still have a living faith with dementia? Read the rest of Jennifer’s Article
Copyright Jennifer Morrill Fabrizi 2021
