Works of Love Newsletter
Stephen G. Post
Dignity for Deeply Forgetful People Releasing Soon
Greetings, Friends.
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Dignity for Deeply Forgetful People: How Caregivers Can Meet the Challenges of Alzheimer's Disease is available for pre-order and will be released by early May, published by the Johns Hopkins University Press.
How do we approach a "deeply forgetful" loved one so as to notice and affirm their continuing self-identity? For three decades, I have worked around the world encouraging caregivers to become more aware of--and find renewed hope in--surprising expressions of selfhood despite the challenges of cognitive decline.
In this book, I offer new perspectives on the worth and dignity of people with Alzheimer's and related disorders despite the negative influence of "hypercognitive" values that place an ethically unacceptable emphasis on human dignity as based on linear rationality and strength of memory. This bias, I argue, is responsible for the abusive exclusion of this population from our shared humanity. With vignettes and narratives, I argue for a deeper dignity grounded in consciousness, emotional presence, creativity, interdependence, music, and a self that is not "gone" but "differently abled."
Meeting Alzheimer's: Learning to Communicate and Connect
The afterword to the book is a caregiver workshop on love and practical caregiving by Rev. Dr. Jade Angelica.
Uniting Science, Scholarship, Spirit and Art, Meeting Alzheimer's workshops are designed to enhance the quality of life for deeply forgetful people, reduce stress and increase confidence for caregivers, and inspire a hopeful attitude for all. The intent of this programming, which is both informative and supportive, is to help individuals and communities develop a deeper understanding of Alzheimer's and nurture the belief that meaningful relationships remain possible throughout the disease. Learn more
Recalled Experiences Surrounding Death: More Than Hallucinations?
Stephen G. Post, PhD, President
unlimitedloveinstitute.org
stephengpost.com
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