How should we visit someone from church with Alzheimers to make the visit the most beneficial? I am thinking of a godly man, a former elder in the local church, catechism teacher, mentor for younger office bearers, and example of godliness and Christ-likeness. This man with his solid grasp on the gospel of Jesus Christ was one of the pillars of that local church. Many sought his advice and received godly counsel. His presence in meetings was such that he unwittingly commanded attention. His whole demeanor spoke of a close walk with his Lord and Savior.

In his old age, he developed Alzheimer’s disease, and to the shock of many, all his former faith, godliness, and virtue seemed to disappear. In its place came a foul mouth, disrespect for people, and at times even cursing. He seemed very much like a stranger to what he once was, and that is how he died. What are we as Reformed Christians to think of this?

I am thinking of a former church member who came to the Reformed faith and to faith in Christ later in life. She was an example of childlike faith, humbly accepting the Word of God. Her husband, an unbeliever, said once, “I can’t figure her out, but I know one thing, she loves that big book (her Bible).” When I visited her, she would have her questions ready, with underlined verses and an endless curiosity about God and His Word. She was loved by the ladies of the congregation, and was like a breath of fresh air at their Bible Study.

In her old age, she, too, developed Alzheimer’s disease and, again to the shock of many, lost her ability to think clearly, to read her Bible, and to communicate about biblical matters. At times, her talk and behavior were shockingly inappropriate. Often when I read Scripture with her, she would fall asleep. She was so different from what she used to be. It seemed her Christianity had left her, and that is how she died.

I am thinking of a mother of a large family. She had a tough life but was always, at least outwardly, a content person. Though not indifferent, she did not profess to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for her salvation. Despite faithfully attending church services all her life, she did not have a clear view of the gospel.

In her old age, she is diagnosed with mild Alzheimer’s disease. She cannot hold a conversation. Her thoughts are scattered and, though she is still a very pleasant person, her children cannot really reach her at a spiritual level. When they read the Bible and pray with her, she is reverent and quiet, but no one knows if they’re getting through to her. The uncertainty of her spiritual state is burdensome to her children. They are afraid she will die in this uncertain con­dition. What are we to think of this?

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder resulting in a progressive decline in intellectual and social skills, interfering with a patient’s ability to perform the activities of daily life and to interact meaningfully with others. Like all other diseases, this is the result of the fall in Adam. Living in a fallen world as fallen creatures, we are subject to corruption, including the corruption of mental diseases. Though as human beings created in the image of God we have intellect, our intellect is also affected by the fall.

Not only do we not know God as we once did, but we are limited in our ability to know Him at all. Outside of the grace of God, man does not know God, even with our Bibles open. God in His mercy reveals Himself in His Word, and the Holy Spirit illumines our minds to know Him, to receive Him in Christ, and when we embrace Him as our God and Savior, we are saved from the corruption of sin. That does not mean, however, that there will not be any after effects of sin. Every appearance of illness — physical, emotional, and mental — is the result of sin. I am not saying that it is because of specific sins in a person’s life, but because we are sinners we are subject to misery.

Every child of God is saved by His grace, based on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Every child of God is chosen from before the foundations of the world. Because of God’s sovereign election, He will never let go of His children. When they are still in a sound mind and they sin, He does not desert them. When against better knowledge they nevertheless fall into numerous sins, He does not for­sake them. When they no longer remember Him, He does not forget them. When they sometimes deny Him, He will never deny them. All this is true when they are of a sound mind — but it remains true when that mind does not function anymore.

The true Christian who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease does not “hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13). The Alzheimer’s patient does not “hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end” (Heb. 3:6). He does not “hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering” (Heb. 10:23). The Christian with Alzheimer’s does not hold fast to anything except his fallen nature, which is exposed more and more. However, we are not saved because of what we hold onto, but because of Him who holds onto us.

The God of all true Christians promises, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). In and through the Lord Jesus Christ, our God assures us that absolutely nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39). He speaks in absolutes like “never” and “nothing.” Therefore we rest assured that though our loved one suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and seems to have lost it all, he is secure in the grace of our God through Christ Jesus.

What about our loved ones who were not strong in faith, and perhaps never spoke of their trust and faith in Jesus? While they were of a sound mind, they seemed to have rejected the gospel. And what about those who out-rightly despised God’s Word and gospel? They were not among those of whom Paul writes in Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Is it possible for them to do that now, when their minds are not functioning clearly anymore? It would seem that it is too late for them, but is it really too late?

Does not the Holy Spirit work through the means of God’s Word? Is He somehow limited in His power to save? Let us never underestimate the love of God for sinners and His power to save. Christ’s blood was shed on the cross so that all kinds of sinners can be saved. One drop of Christ’s blood is sufficient to cleanse us from all our sins. There is a fountain of blood opened “for sin and for uncleanness” (Zech. 13:1). The Bible does not limit its offer of grace to those of a sound mind. In fact, before grace, who can claim to truly be of a sound mind?

What I have found in visiting Alzheimer’s patients is that, no matter how far the disease has progressed, they seem to perk up when we read familiar passages of Scripture with them. Psalm 23, for example, always seems to ring a bell for them. Another way of trying to reach them is to sing a familiar Psalm or hymn for them. For some of the older ones of Dutch background, Psalm 81 will be familiar. “Open says the Lord, wide thy mouth, believing...” “Amazing Grace” will also be a familiar tune, even when the words are long forgotten. Don’t think that because you can’t see any reaction, that there is none. There can be more going on than meets the eye.

Always read the Bible when you visit, even if you read the same portion every time. The Holy Spirit can reach through the fog and clouds where we are unable to penetrate. Don’t despair for your loved one. She is not beyond the power of the gospel. Though you are unable to see results, you do not know what is going on behind those clouds.

Some of us fear that we may be struck by this disease when we get older, and statistically some of us will be. Let us be prepared for it by setting our house in order now. That way we can rest assured that our Savior will never leave us, and our loved ones will not be left to wonder what happened to us when we die. Jesus still calls to us today, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).