Alzheimer's Reading Room
The headline and link to the article -- Letters unlock doors for priest with Alzheimer’s -- popped on to my Twitter Feed and ended up on my twitter page that is the companion to the Alzheimer's Reading Room --@AlzheimersRead.
My Twitter Feed automatically post to my Facebook page also called -- Alzheimer's Reading Room.
This all takes place automatically.
It turned out you needed a subscription to read this article. However, there is another version available. Since several people expressed interest in the article, I decided to provide an excerpt and the link to the full content article.
Letters unlock doors for priest with Alzheimer’s
...After 16 years visiting prisoners and ministering to parishioners in Allegany County, Father Hipsley faces his own kind of confinement.
Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2008, the 72-year-old priest had to give up his cherished roles as a pastor and chaplain. He now lives at St. Stephen’s Green on the campus of Mercy Ridge Retirement Community in Timonium, wearing a special bracelet so that medical staff can locate him.
Father Hipsley longs to return to his beloved Cumberland and resume his pastorate and chaplaincy. As that’s not possible, he’s found a new way to minister – a method suggested to him by Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien – one that lets him reach out to people. Its impact transforms him as much as those it serves.
It’s a ministry of pen and paper.
...In capital letters with each word carefully underlined, printed words flow across lined pages in poetic symmetry. The paragraphs seem to form perfect box shapes, with two sentences at a time usually fitted between blue-ruled lines. A few misspelled words dot the texts.
Using black, blue and red pens, the priest tackles the importance of praying the rosary and contemplating nature. He extols the virtues of solitude, and urges prayer and kindness.
...They first noticed Father Hipsley having some problems with his memory several years ago. Sometimes he would forget that he had put the keys to the tabernacle in his pocket or he would open the church at the wrong time of the day. The two parishioners helped him track his medication.
The lapses became more frequent. More recently, family members discovered that the priest had purchased three separate security systems from three different companies for a home.
When he’s not writing letters, Father Hipsley spends time in a garden praying the rosary. Most of his prayers are for others, but he acknowledged that he asks God for help with everyday things.
“I pray, ‘Dear God, please help me in this situation,’ ” he said. “Where did I put my wallet?”
Go here to read the article.
Now I'll find out if I can get some of the letters.
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Bob DeMarco is the Founder of the Alzheimer's Reading Room and an Alzheimer's caregiver. Bob has written more than 1,880 articles with more than 95,100 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.
Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room
