Prayer For Alzheimer's Caregivers
Father, help me, by Your grace, to be a caregiver as You care for us
work through my hands with the touch of compassion, see through my
eyes with the clarity of understanding, shine through my countenance
with the light of kindness, speak through my voice with the words of
comfort and encouragement, minister through my spirit with grace and
patience, and give through my heart with the never-ending gift of love.
Amen!
Lord, Show me the strength within me because
I am very tired,
Show me patience to care for the one I love,
Show me the joy in the little things my loved one does to help me out,
Show me love when anger wants to take over my thoughts,
Show me compassion when my loved one becomes frustraed,
Show me hope when I can see no hope,
And Lord, show me kindness for those who care about me.
AMEN
Heavenly Father, help me better understand
and believe I can do what you ask me to do.
Forgive me for the times, even now,
when I question your judgment.
As I go about the many daily tasks of caregiving,
give me energy.
As I watch my loved one oh-so-slowly walk
across the room, give me strength.
As I answer his/her repeated question
just one more time, give me patience.
As I look for solutions to whatever
is the most recent concern, give me wisdom.
As I reminisce with him/her about the
good old days, give me a moment of laughter.
As I get to know my loved one in a new way,
seeing both his/her strength and frailty, give me joy.
Lighten my burden, answer my prayer,
and give me the strength to do what
so often seems impossible.
Give me a quiet place to rest when I need it
and a quieting of my anxieties when I'm there.
Remain my constant companion as I face
the challenges of caregiving
and when my job is through
and it's time for me to let go,
help me remember
he/she is leaving my loving arms
to enter your eternal embrace. Amen.
Dear Father, I can feel so very alone as I care for my loved one. Yet I know that your presence is with me, for you walk with me through the day and night. I feel great loss and grief, watching Alzheimer's strip my beloved of their memories, their giftings, their abilities, health and dignity. Lord help me to come to you with this suffering, to remember that you took all this pain upon yourself at the cross. Please give me the vision to see my loved one being redeemed. Help me to trust that you are watching over them. Thank you that you are taking each aspect of their unique character and being and are keeping these things safe in Heaven. Dear Lord, help me to find new life alongside this suffering. May I engage with beauty of creation, be filled by the laughter of children and be comforted by the support of friends. May I look forward to knowing that eternity waits for us all. May I feel the breeze of Heaven upon my face and hold tight to the seeds of faith sown into our lives. They will not wither or fade, for they are eternal. Thank you Father. Amen.
Abba Father, Thank you for your fatherhood in life, for the comfort in knowing I am safe, accepted and loved by you. Help me as I care for others to have your heart, the heart of a loving Father who cares deeply for these beautiful people. Please bless the work of my hands as I tend to physical needs, inspire my words as I offer comfort and support, and strengthen my heart to always seek to love. I lay before you the weariness I can feel, the challenges I face and the suffering I share in. Abba Father, be my carer as I seek to give out your blessings to those in need. Amen.
Dear heavenly Father,
Provide the words of comfort I can say.
Provide strength to make it through this day.
I cannot fix things or take control.
I accept this, trust in you, and let it go.
Help me listen and be present through the grief.
When I grow weary, provide me with relief.
May this experience transcend this earthly plain.
Help us find greater meaning beyond just pain.
Heal our wounded places.
Restore us to wholeness.
Provide your peace and loving presence to guide us and to hold us.
In the name of your Son, the Great Physician.
Amen
Lord make me an instrument of your peace.
Give me the grace to have what I already have and to make it grow;
help me to reap a personal sense of calm and restfulness in the
midst of my loved one's devastating disease
and to extend that peace in his/her daily care.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Help me to sow love in the midst of this hated disease.
Teach me how to render loving and patient care to my loved one.
Show me the way to be Your instrument of grace
and help me come to a resolution of acceptance and consideration.
Where there is discord, union.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Help me to seek healing of a hardened heart,
oftentimes full of anger and resentment,
and to reconcile myself to the reality of my loved one's disease;
to see the "injury" of Alzheimer's as a means for me and my affected loved one
to grow in greater love and intimacy with you, Lord,
and to pardon that which is unknown for causing this devastating disease.
Where there is doubt, faith.
I know doubt is a necessary part of life.
Help me in situations when I doubt myself in the care of my loved one;
when I question my responsibilities of being a caregiver;
when I sit in doubt at times thinking You have abandoned me, Lord;
and most of all, when I lose that faith and hope
that I know are what ultimately sustain me and my loved one
throughout the journey of this disease,
Where there is despair, hope.
I know that everyone dealing with this disease has despair,
but help me to be an instrument to others
so I can offer hope to them, too.
In my despair, give me the grace to reach out to others for solace and support,
so that we all can know the hope that is always restored
through your love and grace, Lord.
Where there is darkness, light.
I know Jesus is the Light of the World.
Help me always to remember and to receive that Light of Christ.
I am a reflection of that Light;
my loved one with Alzheimer's is a reflection of that Light, too.
Help us, together, to be that Light for ourselves and others.
And where there is sadness, joy.
I am losing my loved one to this devastating disease.
It makes both of us sad.
Help me to recognize the joy in the present moment with my loved one each day;
to experience that joy together, to overcome our sadness that sometimes prevails,
and to know that God is ever with us on our journey.
O Divine Master, grant that I may
not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
Help me not to be so needy.
Use me as an instrument to others for consolation,
even in my own journey and grief.
Help me find the grace to care and comfort others
who are also affected by this disease,
thereby giving my loved one and me comfort, too.
To be understood, as to understand;
Help me not to be fixated on always trying to understand my loved one
and always wanting for him/her to understand me;
what he/she is trying to communicate;
all the "whys" and" hows" of this disease;
but to just understand and listen most of all;
and to recognize that the progression of the disease
is destroying my loved one's brain, not the person behind the disease.
To be loved, as to love.
I miss my loved one's love; I miss the touch and companionship;
the days of sharing and caring for each other.
Help me to keep our love alive;
to aspire to love him/her as much as I can through this journey,
knowing that when I am caring for another human being, we both grow in love,
and that when we both grow in that love, it will be given whole-heartedly to others.
For it is in giving that we receive.
Help me not to tire of all the "care" giving
and to be charitable in that giving.
Help me be a more generous receiver;
to receive the abundant gifts of others,
to accept help and welcome help
throughout this disease journey.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
Help me to forgive myself for all the times when I am angry, or weary, or lonely,
or upset, or impatient, or frustrated.
Help me to know that my loved one forgives me, too;
for my negative actions and emotions oftentimes become elevated because
the madness of the disease overwhelms me.
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Give me the strength and perseverance when grief overcomes me
to withstand the loss of my loved one twice;
to endure patiently when he/she no longer recognizes me,
when I am seen as a stranger or foe,
when I must realize the slow passing away of a person I once knew and still love;
and finally, give me the grace and fortitude for that final goodbye
so that I might have peace and promise in my loved one's physical death
when my loved one is joined with Christ in a new, eternal life.
Amen.
I'm going to need a lot of help
to become a good caregiver.
I'm counting on you, God, for that.
Help me grow patience for this journey.
Help me forgive myself for all the ways I fail.
Show me how to see that heart within
that longs for unconditional love,
just like me.
Show me how to know that soul
that shines in the light of divine love,
just like mine.
Show me myself in this person.
Show me this person in me.
Help me listen to a thousand repetitions
without getting angry.
Help me to say, "Uh-Huh," instead of
"I already told you that!"
Help me not be frightened or repelled
by a grown-up needing guidance
and help like a child.
Help me laugh when
I find sheets in the oven,
socks on hands,
underwear over pants,
someone undressed and back in bed
I just spent an hour getting up.
Help me be kind, to myslef and others.
To say, "Oh well!" when I lose my temper.
To say, "I'm sorry" when I owe it,
To say, "Never mind" and mean it,
To say, "Oops" and not scold.
Help me remind myself that,
next to the end of civilization as we know it,
this really isn't so much.
Help me forgive this person's illness.
Help me forgive my lack of empathy.
Help me remind myself that
I don't have to be perfect
and, as you know, God,
that's a good thing,
considering.
Help me to journey to the place where
it's enough to be the people we both are.
Help me be amused instead of judgemental.
Help me stop blaming someone for their illness.
Help me be kind
instead of angry and frightened.
Help me give more than I ever got.
Help me grow into the person
who can love everyone exactly as they are,
including me.
Help me be willing
to become my parent's parent
instead of resisting with anger.
Help me learn how to have fn,
how to travel into different time zones
with my parent
who thinks this is 1928 in South Dakota.
Help me understand
that when my 88-year-old mother
asks me when her mother is coming home
it means she needs a mother.
Help me be that mother.
Help me think about the fact
that sometimes everyone feels
like a motherless child.
Help me feel that gap.
Help me know and understand that
as I become what others need
I become that for myself.
I'd be really grateful, Lord,
if you could do all that for me really fast.
Or maybe at least,
you could rush me some patience.
Thank you.