Turning the Church Toward Those with Cognitive Decline
Care Commissioning Video
Who We Are
We Remember is a nonprofit created to mobilize the local church to provide wholistic care for patients and families struggling with dementia.
The roots of "We Remember" can be traced back to 2018, when Dasen and Rebecca Ritchey were caring for Rebecca's mother, Sarah Lewis, in her advanced stage of Alzheimer's.​ When the feeling of isolation from their church in this care became overwhelming, Dasen and Rebecca's then 15-year-old daughter, Miriam, reached out to their pastor and shared the daily struggle of dementia care. Miriam's willingness to share her experience with the church inspired others to share personal stories and struggles in caring for loved ones with dementia. Communal awareness was growing.
In 2020, Dasen and Rebecca Ritchey took a leap of faith and followed God's calling. In the midst of caring for Rebecca’s mother, Dasen resigned from his full time employment as a general surgeon, and Dasen and Rebecca started a private medical practice focused solely on in-home care for people with dementia. They were inspired by friends in their church to begin implementation of cognitive impairment care plans.
In 2021, Rebecca and Dasen created We Remember to further the growth of community and church involvement in dementia care. The board of directors met for the first time in the same year.
In 2022, Sarah Lewis passed away in April, and a radiant rainbow immediately followed her death, a sign of God’s presence to the Ritchey family, as well as to those currently engaged in caring for a loved one with dementia.
Our Mission and Values
We value the life of all people regardless of their cognitive function, position in society, or productivity. We recognize that someone does not have to be "useful" to be valuable. An opportunity to love someone with dementia is an opportunity to embrace the sanctity of life.
As society increasingly disvalues the elderly, we seek to live Godly lives by caring for the weak and vulnerable. It is in this mission that the Church grows in wisdom and offers a counter-offensive to the growing culture of death via physician-assisted suicide that assaults society today.
We participate with the Church in her mission to be the hands and feet of Christ to the world.
We value men and women with cognitive impairment as people made in the image and likeness of God.
We connect the Church and people in our local community who are experiencing cognitive decline.
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Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble. Ps 41:1