What did I get out of Swinton?
- Time is not money. It is the gift of God. Live in the moment and assign value to the present. Be with people.
- Visit the sick, especially demented folks.
- Dementia sucks.
- Hospitality among strangers is an important concept to bring to bear on all relationships, especially those with demented folks.
- We are all contingent, embodied people.
- Hanging out and friendship can change the world.
- God remembers us in the present even when we forget who we are.
- [edit June 9, 2023] Our windows into the conscious experience of folks suffering from dementia are quite foggy, so we can’t assume to know what they’re thinking and feeling. Even if someone’s dementia is so far progressed that they can’t even talk or move, their inner life might still be quite rich. And even if they’re expressively tetchy, they might be hating that on the inside and unable to express as much. Don’t assume. Always with interact with tenderness and patience and love. One of the main things they need is plenty of good company.