Él era un hombre de pocas palabras. Mis visitas a menudo consistían en un monólogo que yo elaboraba cuidadosamente en torno a preguntas veladas, con la esperanza de que él ofreciera detalles de su vida sin agitarse. Pero sus respuestas eran cortas; unas pocas palabras enunciadas con una voz grave que se volvía más fuerte si estaba molesto con el tema.
He was a man of few words. My visits often consisted of a monologue I carefully constructed around veiled questions, hoping he would offer up details about his life without getting agitated. But his responses were short — a few words uttered in a deep voice that got louder if he was irritated by the subject matter.
At the end of the Gospel of John, Jesus tells Peter, “I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” According to the Gospel writer, Jesus said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God.
As our society continues to age we hear more and more about the challenges of dementia. There are now about 5 million people living with Alzheimer’s in the United States today, and that number will grow. It has been called the Dementia Tsunami. Alzheimer’s disease is the most feared medical condition and there is still no cure. What starts as forgetfulness becomes increasing disability, disconnection, dependence and death.
