Dementia caregivers are often overwhelmed by the sense that we confront an infinitely demanding circumstance with a finitely constrained resource: ourselves. But the converse is actually the case. As difficult as it may be, caring for one’s beloved is a finite setting. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning is shockingly demanding. At the moment of confirmed diagnosis, “No!” is an understandable initial response on the part of the care partner. The middle is particularly challenging and desperate. The beloved begins to disappear before our eyes. There is no pause button as the long days and nights of diminishment and cognitive decline unwind. And yet there is an end to the journey, the inevitable death of the beloved.

A husband caring for a loved one with dementia finds dark valleys, but also limitless spiritual resources.