St. Thomas

Question:Father, my mother has Alzheimer’s disease. She is fairly lucid right now, but things are slipping. Should she be going to Confession?
Answer:    Well, it would depend on a few issues. If she were just forgetting some things but understands major concepts and the point of the sacrament, I would say yes. While she might forget some items to confess, the grace of absolution is no less powerful than it would be for someone without dementia. (Even those of us with the best memories may forget something, and we would still be absolved.) Religious rituals and practices can be helpful to a person with memory loss, as older memorized actions are comforting and reassuring. The prayers and devotions learned in childhood are often still remembered and bring peace to the person. If your mother gets to the point where she cannot appreciate the nature of Confession, then it might be better not to come. First, actions cannot be considered grievously sinful if a person cannot act with full knowledge and intent. (Dementia can disrupt a person’s ability to understand that an act is sinful and the choice to act against one’s conscious, so there is no culpability for sin.) In that case, one does not need to confess. Second, if the setting were no longer familiar and reassuring, the person suffering memory loss may become confused and agitated. The comfort and peace the sacrament offers is then lost. In that case, you may ask to have your mother receive the Sacrament of the Sick. The anointing absolves sins for people who cannot actively confess them, and so she would be blessed. We have a wide variety of options in the Church to help as needs change. We want to help your mother at all stations of health and cognition.