Roughly 40% of senior citizens over the age of 65 suffer from some sort of memory impairment. Only one percent of those suffering with memory loss currently will end up being diagnosed with dementia. Nonetheless, this still leaves 16 million people who experience what I call the forgotten years.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me, Psalm 23:4.
If you live long enough, you too wil come face to face with family members or friends who will forget who you are. You may visit these individuals in a
nursing home or retirement community and experience some sort of a breakthrough during a conversation. Yet, the next day any evidence of this improvement disappears as previous conversations and or your name is forgotten once again.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.
My wife Leanne deals with her mom’s current memory loss situation better than I could ever do. The realization that the woman who took care of you for so many years as a child can no longer care for herself is heart breaking. While the Bible does contain passages about old age and dying, having your mother forget who you are is devastating. And yet, a growing number of adults come face to face with memory loss each year. For those of you still struggling, may you find comfort in the words from the Bibble.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 