Tag Archives: dementia

Relocating to a Retirement Community: A New Life

Posted on April 29, 2017 by Bob Ritzema

I wrote recently about the first part of Richard L. Morgan’s book Settling In: My First Year in a Retirement Community. Morgan was initially enthusiastic about moving to a retirement community near his daughter, but after a month or so … Continue reading →

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Amazing Love

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Bob Ritzema

I recently learned of the death of  Robertson McQuilkin, former president of Columbia Bible College and Seminary (now Columbia International University). He resigned from his post in 1990 to care fulltime for his wife, Muriel, who had Alzheimer’s.  He was … Continue reading →

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Conversing With Dementia

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Bob Ritzema

I recently read a Next Avenue interview with Jonathan Kozol, author of the memoir The Theft of Memory: Losing my Father One Day at a Time. Jonathan’s father Harry, a psychiatrist and neurologist, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in his late 80s … Continue reading →

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Sex and Dementia

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Bob Ritzema

What’s entailed in expressing consent to have sex with someone? If the person wanting to have sex with you is your husband, and you don’t object to sex with him, is that enough? If you’re openly affectionate with him, wouldn’t … Continue reading →

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Dad, Descartes, and Dementia

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

My dad’s dementia worsened over the course of several years. It was quite disturbing to see his memory loss, confusion, difficulty expressing himself, and inability to perform even simple tasks. The changes in him raised questions for me, questions which I … Continue reading →

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“Can You Spare Me a Dime?” Getting Ready For the Journey.

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

My mom and I were my dad’s primary caregivers as dementia gradually chewed at his mind. I helped them in their home for almost two years, until, at last, my mother made the difficult decision to have dad admitted to … Continue reading →

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Alzheimer’s Misconceptions

Posted on June 24, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common form of dementia, responsible for an estimated 60-80% of cases. The range in estimated cases has to do with the difficulty of diagnosis; Alzheimer’s can only be definitively diagnosed by autopsy. There are an … Continue reading →

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Deep Time

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Bob Ritzema

Do we experience time differently when we are elderly?  We all sense time passing more quickly as we age, but in what other ways is time different?  Richard Rohr, in his book Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of … Continue reading →

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