Dementia brings much suffering and puts an immense strain on those who are ill and their carers. It is often seen as the worst that can happen to anyone. This book explores whether there is hope in the illness of forgetting and identifies ways by which people with dementia may teach those without dementia important things about faith.
People with dementia can help us by their trust, their humour and their approach to prayer. When we are with them, we have the chance to discover afresh what God is like and to become aware of the fact that he does not depend on our cognitive abilities. If we pay attention, they will teach us that cognitive impairment does not have to mean loss of faith but may open up new ways of being with God.
Regina Schlingheider trained to be a nurse and midwife, married Jörg and, with him, raised their three children. She obtained a BA in Theology from London School of Theology and, recently, an MA in Christian Spirituality from Sarum College, Salisbury. She has always been actively involved in the churches she belonged to, and for some years now has been employed as a Diakonin (church worker) in a Protestant church in the north of Berlin. Her main work is with elderly people. Being with them has helped her to grow older herself with more confidence. She enjoys singing, gardening and playing with her four granddaughters.
