Can Your Christian Faith Improve Your Dementia Caregiving Experience
Caregiving for a loved one with dementia can feel like navigating an emotional maze without a map. How do we find strength when challenges keep piling up?
In this special episode, real caregivers from around the world share their heartfelt struggles, victories, and the game-changing role their Christian faith plays in their journey.
Faith: A Vital Ingredient in Caregiving
From Florida to Australia, caregivers in this episode share a common belief: faith makes the difference. Emma, caring for her father in Australia, highlights how her Christian faith keeps her grounded, saying, “To have God at the center of this journey makes such a big difference.”
Caregivers are reminded that while the journey will never be easy, faith provides the strength, perspective, and peace to endure even the most challenging days.
Real Struggles, Real Solutions
Throughout the coaching session, caregivers open up about their greatest struggles:
- Repetition and Short-Term Memory Loss:
Tita, caring for her husband, describes the frustration of repeated questions and denial about his condition. Her approach? Patience and prayer. She reminds herself that arguing doesn’t help—leaning on faith and ignoring frustrations brings peace. - Safety Concerns:
Driving is a major issue for Tita’s husband, who no longer holds a license but refuses to accept it. Safety becomes a caregiver’s priority, but it’s not without emotional strain. The episode highlights the importance of setting firm, loving boundaries to ensure safety. - The Value of Community:
Caregivers like Linda and Tracy stress the importance of joining a support community early. Having a trusted place to ask questions, share experiences, and learn solutions eases the overwhelm. As Tracy puts it, “Being part of this community means you’re not figuring everything out alone.”
Leaning on God for Strength
Faith is woven throughout the episode, reminding caregivers that God walks with them every step of the way. When denial, arguments, or safety concerns arise, caregivers are encouraged to pray for guidance, lean on Scripture, and trust in God’s plan.
Scripture like “The Lord is my strength and my shield” (Psalm 28:7) serves as a constant source of comfort for those feeling weary.
A Call to Find Your Community
Are you feeling overwhelmed in your caregiving journey?
The caregivers in this episode remind us that you don’t have to do it alone. Whether it’s leaning on your faith, seeking practical guidance, or joining a supportive community, help is available.
Ever Wonder How To Know What Is Causing Your Caregiver Stress?
Take Our FREE Caregiver Stress Assessment Today!
https://dignicarebydesign.com/dca
Join the FREE Dementia Caregiver Support Facebook Group today for more support:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dementiacaregiversupportforchristians
Are You A Christian Dementia Caregiver Struggling To Cope With Caregiving?
Join the FREE “Ask the Dementia Coach” Monthly Meet Up! And be on the podcast, get support and your questions answered.
https://dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/ask
Enjoy our podcast? Please take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify —it really supports our show!
Upstate Nonprofits Receive Funding Boost to Expand Dementia Services.
Transcript
[0:00] Caregiving for a loved one with dementia can sometimes feel like you’re navigating
Caregiving with Faith
[0:06] an emotional maze without a map. But what happens when we use our Christian faith as our compass, which we should be doing? In today’s episode, you’re going to hear from real caregivers across different continents and at different stages of their dementia caregiving journey, share their heartfelt experiences and how their faith has been game-changing for them. As you listen to today’s episode, I want you to consider joining me in our next Ask the Dementia Coach monthly meetup, And the link is in the show notes because the next one is coming up on December the 19th. In these episodes, in that segment, you have an hour-long opportunity, my gift to you, to receive free advice.
[1:06] Free counsel, free mentoring on your dementia caregiving journey so that you are not alone. These are real people with real situations that we talk about once a month on the Ask the Dementia Coach. The link is in the show notes below, or you can go to the website, thinkdifferentdementia.com forward slash ask. So, hey Christian caregiver, welcome to Dementia Caregiver Support for Christians, the podcast where I teach Bible-believing Christians how to make dementia care easier today while also helping you focus on tomorrow. If you are a Christian spouse, an adult child, or a family member of a person living with dementia, this podcast is for you. Here, we focus on kingdom-focused caregiving, and we honor the Lord Jesus Christ throughout our caregiving journey. Now, welcome to today’s short episode that is a snippet of what it feels like or looks like to receive coaching in action.
Real Stories from Caregivers
[2:24] So my name is Linda Burhans and I’m a caregiver advocate and I help care for my brother who has dementia and just in my business it’s constant dementia and I am very grateful to be here because I always learn something new, a different way to approach something, or just a different tweak on something. And I think that’s so important. And what I really love about you, Lizette, is that you also have that Christian factor. And I think that’s really important because I don’t know how anybody does caregiving without faith. That is definitely something that I am really recognizing the more I do. This is one of the vital ingredients for people to truly have a much easier journey. It’s never going to be easy, but it is easier when you. So Emma Rose, if I’m not mistaken, well, Linda, tell people you’re in California, right? No, you’re in Florida. She’s in Florida, USA. Emma Rose, you’re up next, then Tita, and then Tracy. Hello. Can anyone hear me? Yes, ma’am. Oh, fantastic. My beautiful- Hi, everyone. Thank you. Hi, everyone. My name is Emma. I’m from Australia, and I’m actually very, very grateful to be here because just like the previous person, sorry, I’ve forgotten your name, but I’m in the photo.
[3:46] My dad has severe dementia. He’s in his 10th year. I’m his, obviously enduring power of attorney and uh yeah i i’ve joined this because you’re absolutely right it was a christian-based coaching and and i think you’re absolutely right you you know you’re you’re going through this journey and you’re like it’s actually very very difficult it’s actually not easy so to have god in the center of it it makes such a big difference so we are very early in the morning so my i haven’t had my coffee so i’m hoping i’m making a sense here but um but yeah i Well, just the way you are. Oh, thank you so much. But that’s, and yeah, I have to give you a bit of a short introduction to that. I’m here because I do want to understand dementia in a different way. And I want to be able to give my dad the best of me rather than someone who’s going in and going, I have no idea what you’re doing, dad. But at least when I come out of this, I go, yeah, I get it. Yes, it makes a lot. Just like the previous session, I’ve applied a lot of things that Lietzis mentioned and And it’s helped so tremendously. And it was only the first time. It was just a different lens. And I just love the, I just love your approach. So I’m happy to wake up very early in the morning. I placed everything on hold and ready to listen and learn. Yes, Ms. Linda. I just want to say, when you know better, you do better. Oh, yes. Yeah, exactly.
[5:09] Yeah. Dementia is just a completely different world. And I think I’m even more grateful that, you know, I’m grateful for my brain functions, that I’m able to function properly. I can only imagine, you know, when I’m, I’m relating dementia is when I’m tired and I’ve, you know, I’m down and out. And that’s the only thing I like, my brain doesn’t function properly. And I can only imagine what they’re going through. Like they can’t even, they can’t even, like, yeah, they’ve lost all functions. Well, we’ll talk about that a little bit more because everybody has remaining
Challenges in Dementia Care
[5:40] functions and that’s what we need to concentrate on. So Miss Tita, tell me where you are, who you are helping and what your biggest struggle is in dementia caregiving and something you’re grateful for. Hi, I’m Chita and I’m from Las Vegas. I’m taking care of my husband for 43 years. The main struggle that I have right now is he’s denying, he’s under self-denial. He’s not, he’s, and I said that he has problems with his memory. He just won’t accept it and he gets mad. So he’s really in big denial. The main thing that I’m having a problem with is driving.
[6:15] He always He just wants to drive, but he doesn’t have any license anymore because the doctor sort of like reported him to DMV, so they took off his life. But every time he sees the car, he wants to drive. But I keep, you know, so it’s a struggle all the time that he gets mad at all for not letting him drive. So I’m afraid one of these days, he might just get the car and drive.
[6:36] That is certainly a challenge, for sure. What was that last sentence, Han? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. No, well, the main thing that he, I have a problem with him, he’s still okay. He’s not violent or anything. The main problem he has is he keeps forgetting, you know, his short-term memory. He keeps repeating things. He keeps asking the same questions. Okay. Usually, I’m very patient, and I just ignore him. My son keeps telling me, you know, I cannot fight with him, because even if I’m mad, he won’t remember anyway. So I just try to ignore him and just pray, you know, that he leads me to whatever I need to do. Okay. But it’s challenging, you know. Absolutely. This is just the quick little introduction portion.
Struggles and Gratitude
[7:17] So we’ll get to everybody’s questions here in a little bit. Miss Celia, if you are willing and able, can you tell me who you are supporting, where you live? What’s your biggest struggle with dementia caregiving right now and something that you are grateful for? I don’t know if she can hear me. where she’s still coming up celia are you there all right i’m gonna go to tracy if tracy can she was driving uh or maybe driving and tracy if you’re able hey sweet lady hello and i’m sorry i am still driving hopefully you guys won’t siri talking or anything crazy i’m in back in the middle of a crazy neighborhood that i’ve never been to before um uh so my name is tracy lamb and i live in Florida, Tampa, Florida.
[8:03] And I, um, let’s see, uh, my mother has early stage dementia, which is why I’m here. And I don’t know what else, what else did you want to, sorry, biggest struggle right now and something you’re grateful for. Um, my biggest struggle right now, um, is my mom. Um, and then, uh, you know, and I’ve started just kind of agreeing with her because it’s easier. But she is starting to get much more argumentative.
[8:34] People who are really benefiting from the community are the people who joined earlier on before they need it and that have been active and are participating in the community because then they already know what questions to ask and they have a place to come and they’re not constantly wondering, what do I need to do? How do I need to do it? So people listening are interested in tapping into or learning about the community. I’d invite you to just go to the website, thinkdifferentdementia.com. There’s a link for you to schedule a 20-minute call. There’s no pressure.
Community Support and Resources
[9:07] I’ll serve you regardless of whether you join the community or not. But it is a way for you to take this relationship a little deeper, a little bit more hands-on support, because really the research also shows it’s longitudinal support over time. Yeah, for sure. I would highly recommend Lizette. She’s awesome. I appreciate that endorsement. You are welcome. Thank you, everybody, for listening today. And as I try to remember, I try to remember, I don’t always remember. May the Lord bless you and keep you and come back and listen some more. I’m hoping to do more of these coaching style episodes. Come back in and check us out. And thank you for being here today.
