“How do I walk faithfully as a wife and still honor the covenant the Lord gave us?” That’s where Linda and I begin in Episode 293, after 53 years of marriage and a season where her husband’s thinking has changed.

I start with the same clarifying prompt I use with every caregiver: “If you look back six months from today, what needs to have happened for you to say, by God’s grace, I’ve stewarded my caregiving health and my relationships well, that will make this easier for you?”

Here’s the heart of our conversation:

1) Submission in this season looks like honoring his prior will. When your husband named you as health-care and durable power of attorney while he was in his right mind, he entrusted you to act according to his values. Exercising POA now is not “taking over”; it is submitting to his will from before cognition changed.

2) His value never rested on thinking. “His value does not rely on his ability to think… His value is in that he was created in God’s image.” That conviction shapes tone, touch, and every decision. Imago Dei drives dignity.

3) Communicate simply; preserve agency. Offer two good options (red shirt or blue shirt; plan A or B) when he can still choose; decide for him when he cannot—and do it gently. Then mirror emotion: join his joy, acknowledge his worry, validate, and move to the next thing. That’s Therapeutic Truth-Telling™ lived out.

Linda shares a powerful moment: she declined a “smart” financial plan because it contradicted her husband’s lifelong convictions—an act of humility and fidelity to their story before God.

For ongoing support, we fold this into the Think Different Dementia Method™ and the Contented Caregiver Blueprint™—relationship-centered, Scripture-anchored care. Come join our Christian caregiver community for steady prayer, coaching, and practical help.

Don’t walk alone. The Christian DigniCare Society (lifetime, under $100) gives you community, coaching, prayer, and practical tools. https://www.thinkdifferentdementia.com/cds

💬 What Do I Say When Dementia Makes Words Hard? Get “What Do I Say? How to Connect with Your Loved One with Dementia” — a free guide for Christian caregivers navigating confusion, repetition, and emotional moments. 📥 Download the guide now: https://www.dementiacaregivingmadeeasy.com/script

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