Like a rose in winter caught by frost too soon, Is a beautiful mind fading far ahead of its doom. Petals float through our fingers as we try to stop their fall, But our efforts prove futile, your fragile memories lost to us all. Mother, dear Mother, where did you go? Like a rose in winter, your sweet memories lay scattered on the snow.
Dementia in all its forms, devastates families and leaves its victims a shell of their former selves. Try as we might, we cannot stop its unrelenting progression. For there is no cure for dementia, even with all the ongoing research in this field. So, we watch helplessly as little by little our loved ones fade away from us. Often, their bodies remain healthy, but their minds are gone.
The umbrella term, dementia is used to describe a number of conditions that progressively impair cognition or thinking. Symptoms include memory loss, personality changes, and issues with communication and judgement. As the disease worsens, dementia impairs activities of daily living making it difficult or impossible for a person to care for themselves.
Within the US, at least 5 million people are presently living with dementia. This number balloons to an estimated 47.5 million worldwide. The most common form is Alzheimer’s disease which comprises over 60% of the total. However, conditions such as Parkinson’s and vascular diseases like strokes can also cause dementia. The emotional and economic impact of the disease is overwhelming on a worldwide as well as individual basis.
Although my mother has struggled with her memory for several years, her doctors officially diagnosed Alzheimer’s dementia early in 2022. Watching my dear mother slowly fade away has been extremely painful. Gone is the vibrant personality and sharp mind, I’ve known my whole life. Mom is gradually more child-like and needy. She dresses and baths with little assistance but often forgets to eat.
Even so, her loving demeanor remains intact as she thrives on hugs and visits to her great grandchildren. The whole family works to keep her mind socially active and engaged, hoping to slow her downward spiral. We take joy in the moments of clarity even though they grow further and further apart.
Whether you know someone with dementia or suffer with the disease yourself, my heart is with you. Like a rose in winter caught by the frost too soon, dementia robs a person of their mind long before their body is ready to go. But someday, Jesus, the Great Physician will heal both our bodies and our minds, making us whole again. Perfect in every way.
While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 5:4-5 NLT
