Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Worth Watching, and Hearing

I try to note interesting stories in the media.  So, for those of you who haven't see it, let me commend a segment from this week's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly on PBS.  It highlights chaplaincy at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles County.  It is an interesting presentation on correctional chaplaincy in general.  However, of greater interest for me are the facts is that the two chaplains profiled in the segment were Episcopalians, and that the scenes of worship in the facility are clearly modeled on Prayer Book liturgies - even communion through a prisoner's door.  It's worth viewing, and you can find the segment here.

Also of interest recently was a story on NPR's All Things Considered called A Decade Of Alzheimer's Devastating Impact.  Tom Debaggio was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 1999.  In the succeeding years he wrote two books on his experience, and was interviewed by NPR a number of times.  This is the story of the most recent visit by NPR reporter Melissa Block with Tom and with his wife.  Indeed, the focus is primarily on his wife , Joyce, because Tom's disease has progressed to the point that he can no longer communicate nor manage his own activities of daily living.  Her tenderness is clear, as is just how tired she is.  The story is a reminder that dementia and other chronic diseases are both individual and family conditions.  Take ten minutes to listen.

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