Can a person with Alzheimer's sin?

[Giggly_Giraffe]

I’ve searched for resources (books, web-sites, & a few priests) for information about how Alzheimer’s impacts a person’s soul. Do ppl with Alzheimer’s got confession? How does the absence of the mind from the body allow them to find God? Does their soul still seek God? And so many more questions.

Question inspired by friends and family dealing with ppl with Alzheimer’s; & one who passed away (RIP Mrs. S.)

 

[Iheartcoffee]

In order to sin one has to be aware that they are sinning and do it anyway. Many people with Alzhiemer’s are not of a sound enough mindset that they are making those kinds of informed decisions. Alzheimer’s can also cause some personality changes that may result in the person being less able to control his or her impulses.

I would say that it is a continuum. There are people with mild Alzheimer’s that are still aware of right and wrong and they have control over their actions. Over time though it is possible that this slowly wears away.

 

[Aussiegal]

In order to sin one has to be aware that they are sinning and do it anyway. Many people with Alzhiemer’s are not of a sound enough mindset that they are making those kinds of informed decisions. Alzheimer’s can also cause some personality changes that may result in the person being less able to control his or her impulses.

I would say that it is a continuum. There are people with mild Alzheimer’s that are still aware of right and wrong and they have control over their actions. Over time though it is possible that this slowly wears away.

Yes,I agree you took the words right out of my mouth–To the other question on how the absence of the mind can still seek God, this is harder to answer because they are in a confused state and may not know exactly what it is that they need or want.

However, I believe God seeks the person and I can see him working through the kindness of care workers and people in the care industry, I can see him working through their exhausted families and carers and I believe he never leaves his suffering children’s side.

 

[JRKH]

In order to sin one has to be aware that they are sinning and do it anyway. Many people with Alzhiemer’s are not of a sound enough mindset that they are making those kinds of informed decisions. Alzheimer’s can also cause some personality changes that may result in the person being less able to control his or her impulses.

I would say that it is a continuum. There are people with mild Alzheimer’s that are still aware of right and wrong and they have control over their actions. Over time though it is possible that this slowly wears away.

Very nicely put. The Second paragraph is a wonderfully succinct summary.

For all intents and purposes, the person with AD (Alzheimer’s disease) is mentally on a “reverse aging” course. Instead of gaining in knowledge (and culpability) they are losing it.
The first thing to go is going to be their ability to sin mortally and eventually they cannot sin at all…Just as an infant cannot sin.
I feel so incredibly fortunate that my lady and I were able to return to the sacraments and for her to go to confession before she disappeared completely into the mist

Peace
James

 

[Seeker1961]

I’ve thought about this off and on since my Dad passed 2 months ago. He had not been to Mass in a long time, and he did not receive the Last Rites when he passed. I have spent a lot of time in prayer for him, even though having been with him I know that very little of his life was under his control,or choice anymore. Every MD we spoke to told us that the Parkinson’s disease had destroyed so much of his brain that the person we knew and loved was gone. If all that was true, and my observation tells me it was , then he could not have consciously sinned.

 

[vera_dicere]

God is a God of mercy and Love, and its best we entrust those with mental or physical illnesses affecting their brains to him.

People with Alzheimers, dementia, Parkinsons can have moments of lucidity, I think its perfectly reasonable that they can sin with full aweareness during those moments.

Generally, however, as the disease process furhters they really do loose any obvious ability to consider their actions or whether they’re right or wrong. A lot end up wth the mentality of a child, very stubborn, unaware of right or wrong or other social pracitices.

My Poppa died several years ago after a long battle with Alzheimers. He was a very staunch Catholic, very religious, and in his final years was very much “atheist” in a lot of respects.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

It is important to remember that God loves then much more than we ever can. Thus, He will extend every means to bring them to Him. We can help by offering the means: prayer, sacraments and visits by a priest.

In our parish we bring them the Eucharist each Sunday, as long as they can recognize it as something special, and a priest anoints them every four months or so.

 

[prstoessel]

When this happened to my grandfather, I thought of this time as spiritual clensing. Much like Mother Angelica from EWTN when she was asked about living with Parkinson’s.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Another reason to get to Heaven.

We, EMHC’s to the sick, often wonder what is going on between the Patient and God when we bring the sacraments. We will only get the answer if we reach Heaven.