In 1998, Harold Burchett’s life changed drastically. After almost half a century serving as a pastor and teacher, he became both homemaker and caregiver to his wife, Jane, who was battling the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s—or any serious illness—is difficult and painful. In Last Light, Burchett shares his story, weaving hope, spiritual inspiration, and practical suggestions with his personal narrative. Particularly helpful for spouses of Alzheimer’s patients, this book: • Demonstrates how the love between a devoted husband and wife can become deeper and more profound. • Offers a candid description of the extreme highs and lows that accompany Alzheimer’s. • Provides guidance for managing self-pity, giving continually without view of repayment, and turning miseries into the joy of answered prayer. • Suggests 40 hints for caregivers, from using nail clippers to expressing empathy, to handling the patient’s resistance. Written with tenderness, honesty, and appropriate humor, Last Light is an excellent source of encouragement for those walking through the struggles of any intense trial. This Expanded Edition completes Burchett’s account of his devoted care for his wife. Here he shares additional stories and lessons learned from the time of the First Edition (2002) until Jane’s death in 2010.

Bright Light tells the story of God visibly at work in and through the life of pastor and revivalist Harold Burchett, now (March 2016) ninety-one years old. What Harold has seen and reports here are not flashy “signs and wonders” in the traditional sense but other ways that God has unmistakably shown up in Harold’s experience and ministry. He tells his story in three parts. 1. “God’s work in me—first”: from a loving, God-centered childhood into the rough-and-tumble world of a reporter for his local newspaper—and then, while still a teenager, to war in the South Pacific on a U.S. Navy destroyer. Prayers answered in the war zone, along with practices learned for reaching the hearts of his faith-mocking fellow sailors, set a fire in Harold’s heart that shapes his entire career. 2. “God’s work in my public ministry”: scenes from Harold’s life as an itinerant evangelist and settled pastor. Through prayer and with total confidence in God’s power to change lives on the basis of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, Harold ministers in public settings from New Brunswick to Virginia. He details some of the notable results. 3. “God’s work in my personal encounters”: stories of individuals who experience the Lord’s personal rescue from a wide variety of crippling issues through Harold’s prayers and words. Those early shipboard lessons on how to be a “fisher of men” (Mark 1:17) clearly have paid off! The book concludes with pointed summaries of lessons learned and of life-advice, especially for readers hungry to experience the same Bright Light that Harold has seen.

2-sprachiger Lektüreband mit einer Erzählung von Jonathan Frantzen und einer Audio-CD mit dem englischen Text; für Lernende mit guten Vorkenntnissen.

“The relationship between a mother and daughter is one of the most complicated and meaningful there is. Kimberly Williams-Paisley writes about her own with grace, truth, and beauty as she shares her journey back to her mother in the wake of a devastating illness.” —Brooke Shields Many know Kimberly Williams-Paisley as the bride in the popular Steve Martin remakes of the Father of the Bride movies, the calculating Peggy Kenter on Nashville, or the wife of country music artist, Brad Paisley. But behind the scenes, Kim was dealing with a tragic secret: her mother, Linda, was suffering from a rare form of dementia that slowly crippled her ability to talk, write and eventually recognize people in her own family. Where the Light Gets In tells the full story of Linda’s illness—called primary progressive aphasia—from her early-onset diagnosis at the age of 62 through the present day. Kim draws a candid picture of the ways her family reacted for better and worse, and how she, her father and two siblings educated themselves, tried to let go of shame and secrecy, made mistakes, and found unexpected humor and grace in the midst of suffering. Ultimately the bonds of family were strengthened, and Kim learned ways to love and accept the woman her mother became. With a moving foreword by actor and advocate Michael J. Fox, Where the Light Gets In is a heartwarming tribute to the often fragile yet unbreakable relationships we have with our mothers.

What happens to faith when Christians get dementia? Here, the unique voices of Christians who live with this illness bring insight and prompt theological reflection on the profound questions that dementia asks of faith. Within the boundaries of a biblical agenda, these questions are explored using a model of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation (reminiscent of Brueggemann's scheme), to seek deeper understanding of faith experience and practice. Arising from the research, fresh theological insights and challenges for the church call for new, creative practices to enable the faith nurture of disciples of Jesus living with this disease. Counterintuitively, the study reveals a growing, positive experience of faith in the light of dementia highlighting the significance of Christian hope. Faith does not end with diagnosis of this illness.

A guide to more successful communication for the millions of Americans caring for someone with dementia: “Offers a fresh approach and hope.”—NPR Revolutionizing the way we perceive and live with Alzheimer’s, Joanne Koenig Coste offers a practical approach to the emotional well-being of both patients and caregivers that emphasizes relating to patients in their own reality. Her accessible and comprehensive method, which she calls habilitation, works to enhance communication between care partners and patients and has proven successful with thousands of people living with dementia. Learning to Speak Alzheimer’s also offers hundreds of practical tips, including how to: · cope with the diagnosis and adjust to the disease’s progression · help the patient talk about the illness · face the issue of driving · make meals and bath times as pleasant as possible · adjust room design for the patient’s comfort · deal with wandering, paranoia, and aggression “A fine addition to Alzheimer's and caregiving collections.”—Library Journal (starred review) “Promises to transform not only the lives of patients but those of care providers…This book is a gift.”—Sue Levkoff, coauthor of Aging Well