Dementia

作者:Swinton, John

页数:298

出版时间:2013

价格:0

isbn号码:9780802867162

具体描述

Dementia is one of the most feared diseases in Western society today. Some have even gone so far as to suggest euthanasia as a solution to the perceived indignity of memory loss and the disorientation that accompanies it.

In this book John Swinton develops a practical theology of dementia for caregivers, people with dementia, ministers, hospital chaplains, and medical practitioners as he explores two primary questions:

Who am I when I've forgotten who I am?

What does it mean to love God and be loved by God when I have forgotten who God is?

Offering compassionate and carefully considered theological and pastoral responses to dementia and forgetfulness, Swinton's Dementia: Living in the Memories of God redefines dementia in light of the transformative counter story that is the gospel.

Michael Ramsey Prize 2016 finalist

Stanley Hauerwas

-- Duke Divinity School; author of God, Medicine, and Suffering

"John Swinton has clearly become the premier pastoral theologian of our time. In this book he approaches the troubled topic of dementia with his usual thoroughness, engaging the science with an unapologetic theological voice. Dementia: Living in the Memories of God will become a classic."

Stephen G. Post

-- Stony Brook University; author of The Hidden Gifts of Helping

"Swinton offers us the best constructive theology yet written on the important place for the deeply forgetful in our communities and our lives. His ability to elevate the most significant Christian scholarship on this topic to the level of a compelling new synthesis is clear on each thoughtful page. Those who want to reflect deeply on where individuals with dementia fit into our world will benefit from this breath of fresh air. It is a brilliant book that stays true to everything meaningful in Christian ethics, theology, and care."

Stephen Sapp

-- University of Miami; author of When Alzheimer's Disease Strikes!

"Engagingly written and thoroughly researched, Swinton's Dementia is a ringing challenge to current thinking (and speaking and acting) about dementia. Especially significant is the author's insistence that Christians always consider dementia from a theological perspective and move beyond the dominant (and limited) medical model."

David Keck

-- author of Forgetting Whose We Are

"This vigorous yet gentle book is changing the way I practice theology. It deserves a broad audience of both theologians and pastors since it challenges fundamental habits of thought, prayer, and service. Indeed, this book -- this offering -- provides hope. It demonstrates the power of faithful theology to engage very difficult, even frightening topics."

John Goldingay

-- Fuller Theological Seminary; author of Remembering Ann

"For the last decade of her life my first wife, Ann, couldn't speak, not because she couldn't move her lips but because she could no longer work out what to say. She had dementia. . . . I would worry over how she and God could relate if she couldn't think straight, so I love Swinton's statement that people such as Ann 'remain tightly held within the memories of God' and I resonate with this description of the church as 'a living body of remembering friends.' Indeed, as I read this book, I kept saying, 'Yes, Yes, Yes!' "

Elizabeth MacKinlay

-- Charles Sturt University; author of Spiritual Growth and care in the Fourth Age of Life

"This groundbreaking book tells a counter-story of dementia that brings hope and challenges the fears that are so dominant within society and the church."

Interpretation

“Offers theological insight and practical help. . . . Provides guidance and spiritual help for caregivers who turn to the church and its pastors for help with loved ones suffering from dementia.”

Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith

“We are fortunate to be able to read such a highly literate, readable, informed, and erudite set of reflections on one of the major health conditions of our time. . . . A most perceptive and informed analysis.”

Journal of Christian Nursing

“Offering compassionate and carefully considered theological and pastoral responses to dementia and forgetfulness, Swinton’s Dementia redefines dementia in light of the transformative counter story that is the gospel.”

Calvin Theological Journal

“This is a thoughtful, provocative, and often heart-rending work. It is as much a book about theological anthropology as it is about pastoral care of persons with dementia; therein lies its beauty. . . . Highly recommended for pastors or seminary level students, particularly those interested in care of the elderly.”

Journal of Adult Theological Education

“As a survey of much of the literature on the subject, this book is extremely valuable. . . . Outside the academy and the training institutions, as a work of encouragement to those who minister to, or live with, or fear becoming sufferers from dementia, it should be read widely.”

Themelios

“This reader highly recommends John Swinton’s study to all Christians, but especially pastors and other leaders.”

Catholic Library World

“Highly recommended and should be required reading for those offering clinical or pastoral care of persons with dementia and their families. This work further stands out for its poignant approach and for allowing the voices of theologians, caregivers, and people in the early stages of dementia to resonate loudly and clearly. . . . Also highly appropriate for pastoral libraries or institutions of higher education.”

Presbyterian Outlook

“Stunning in its scope and profound in its implications, this is theology that truly deserves the term ‘practical.’. . . There is no other book that explores this subject so well.”

Reviews in Religion and Theology

“Swinton’s volume is to be highly commended, both to theologians, lay people, and to medical professionals. It is practical theology of the most charitable and careful kind, avoiding sentimentality and engaging in deep explorations of one of the most painful problems of the human experience.”

Theology Today

“This work is practical theology in a thoroughly practical and thoroughly theological sense. It finds its starting point in God and God’s self-revelation, working out from there to its understanding of humanity and so to challenge the prevailing assumptions about dementia, and it generates suggestions for what it means to be practicing Christians, individually and collectively, in the face of dementia.”

作者简介

About the Author

John Swinton is professor of practical theology andpastoral care at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, andfounding director of the Centre for Spirituality, Health,and Disability at Aberdeen. His other books includeSpirituality and Mental Health Care, Resurrecting thePerson, and From Bedlam to Shalom.

用户评价

我必须承认，在翻开《Dementia》之前，我对这个主题抱有一定的预设，甚至有些许回避。然而，这本书彻底颠覆了我之前的看法。它以一种意想不到的、极具感染力的方式，将我带入了一个我从未深入了解过的世界。作者的文字如同涓涓细流，却有着强大的穿透力，悄无声息地触动了我内心最柔软的部分。我被书中人物的命运深深吸引，他们中的每一个人，无论是在疾病的阴影下挣扎，还是在努力维系着往日的尊严，都展现出了令人动容的力量。这本书并没有回避疾病带来的痛苦和挑战，但它更侧重于描绘在逆境中人性的光辉，以及那些微小却珍贵的连接。我看到了家人的坚守，朋友的陪伴，甚至陌生人之间伸出的援手。这种人与人之间温暖的互动，在疾病的冰冷现实中显得尤为珍贵。这本书让我深刻体会到，即使记忆逐渐模糊，爱和情感依然能够成为指引人生的灯塔。我从中学习到了关于耐心、理解和不离不弃的真谛。这是一本需要用心去感受的书，它所带来的震撼和启迪，远不止于表面的文字。

这本《Dementia》真是让我惊艳不已。我一直对人类大脑的复杂性以及记忆的脆弱性感到着迷，而这本书以一种极其引人入胜的方式探索了这一点。作者的叙事技巧堪称一绝，他能够将科学的严谨与人性的温暖巧妙地融合在一起，让我一边阅读，一边忍不住思考关于意识、身份以及何以为“我”的深刻问题。我尤其喜欢作者在描述那些失去记忆的个体时所展现出的同情心和细腻笔触，他没有将他们描绘成失去一切的空壳，而是通过他们残存的情感、习惯以及与他人的互动，展现出他们内心深处的闪光点。阅读过程中，我常常会因为某个情节而鼻头一酸，或是因为某个观点而豁然开朗。这本书不仅仅是关于一种疾病的科普，更是一次关于生命、尊严和爱的深刻哲学探讨。它让我重新审视了与亲人朋友的关系，更加珍惜当下，也更加理解那些正在经历失智症困扰的家庭所承受的巨大压力。这本书就像一本邀请你去深入探索心灵深处的地图，每一次翻阅都能带来新的发现和感悟。我毫不犹豫地将它推荐给每一个对人类情感、记忆以及生命意义有所探寻的人。

我必须说，《Dementia》这本书给我的阅读体验是前所未有的。它不仅仅是一本关于疾病的书，更是一次对生命本质的探索。作者以一种极其罕见的洞察力，捕捉到了那些在记忆逐渐流失的个体身上，依然闪烁着的人性光辉。我被书中那些细腻的情感描写所打动，那些微小的动作，那些无意识的呢喃，都在作者笔下变得意味深长。他没有用廉价的同情去粉饰现实，而是以一种客观而充满尊重的态度，展现了疾病带来的挑战，以及人们在面对挑战时所展现出的坚韧和勇气。我尤其欣赏作者的叙事方式，他能够将复杂的科学概念，用通俗易懂且富有诗意的方式呈现出来，让我能够深入理解其中的奥秘，同时又被故事深深吸引。这本书就像一扇窗户，让我得以窥见那些曾经被忽视的生命角落，也让我对“存在”本身有了更深刻的理解。它不仅仅是一次阅读，更是一次心灵的洗礼，让我更加懂得珍惜生命中的每一刻，也更加敬佩那些在逆境中依然绽放光芒的生命。

《Dementia》这本书，用一种非常独特且令人印象深刻的方式，探讨了“遗忘”这件事。通常我们认为遗忘是生命的缺失，是能力的退化，但作者却让我们看到了另一种可能。他通过生动的案例和深入的分析，描绘了在记忆逐渐消退的过程中，个体所经历的内心世界，以及他们如何在新旧记忆的交织中寻找意义。这本书的叙事结构非常巧妙，时而如侦探小说般引人入胜，时而又如哲学论文般发人深省。我被作者那种抽丝剥茧般的研究方式所折服，他不仅展现了疾病的残酷，更揭示了人性深处那种顽强的生命力。那些被遗忘的片段，在作者笔下却重新焕发了光彩，它们构成了个体独特的生命印记，即使在意识模糊的时刻，也依然能够折射出曾经的辉煌。这本书让我对“完整”的定义有了全新的理解。它提醒我们，生命并非仅仅由清晰的记忆构成，那些曾经的点点滴滴，即使变得模糊，依然塑造着我们。我从这本书中看到了希望，看到了即使在最黯淡的时刻，依然能够绽放出的生命之花。

《Dementia》这本书，绝对是我近几年来读过的最令人动容的作品之一。作者以一种极其精准且富有同情心的笔触，深入描绘了与失智症相关的种种复杂面向。我被书中那些鲜活的人物形象深深吸引，他们不再是冰冷的医学案例，而是有血有肉、有着丰富内心世界的个体。作者没有回避疾病带来的痛苦和挣扎，但他更侧重于展现那些在困境中依然闪耀的人性光辉，以及人与人之间那份无法割舍的情感纽带。我特别喜欢作者在处理回忆和现实交织的叙事手法，那种模糊不清却又充满情感的片段，让我仿佛能够感同身受。这本书让我重新审视了“记忆”的意义，它不再仅仅是信息储存，更是构成我们身份和存在感的重要基石。作者通过一个个感人至深的故事，让我体会到了生命的脆弱与坚韧，也让我更加珍惜当下与身边人的相处时光。这不仅仅是一本关于疾病的书，更是一次关于爱、关于理解、关于生命价值的深刻哲学探讨。它让我重新思考了“存在”的意义，并从中获得了巨大的力量。