My DH's spiritual beliefs are not allowing treatment of his AD and Vascular Dementia? Anyone else deal with this?

Religious beliefs can be an obstacle to proper medical care. You are not preventing his spiritual growth if growing spiritually for him means ignoring his health and putting you under stress because of it. The only person that is being healed in his church is the pastor- financially! There have always been false healers who prey on the suffering to pad their own bank accounts.

Why is this “pastor” sequestered in his little private church? Why does he require the sick to come to him? Why doesn't he go out to the hospitals, MC facilities and nursing homes and cure those patients? Because he can't (although I'm sure he'll have a reason)! Christ healed those not even in his presence. The bible says Jesus raised the dead. Can your husband's pastor do that or does he have certain limited healing powers? If he can raise the dead, I'd like his phone number because I'd like my wife back.

I'm sorry you're in this position, but I don't think you will ever convince your husband that he's a victim of deceit, although I do like like Joann's idea of calling the pastor and discussing the fact that the doctors say he's not healed.

I may call the minister and ask if he/she would be willing to talk to your husband concerning his meds. You can tell him that a second MRI shows he has not been healed. Could he explain to husband that God also enables researchers to discover medications that will help in his healing?

Don't you just love it when the Church takes your money and your time but is not there when u need them. My Mom was very involved in her Church. On committees and put the annual dinner together. Spent the whole weekend before, with the help of other ladies, organizing, overseeing and cooking it. When she became homebound did her minister of 16 yrs come visit, no. When I mentioned it to a Church officer I was told he didn't do home visits. After Moms passing I tried to go back. I miss some of the people but just not comfortable there.

Do you have your own church or pastor you could reach out to? His church sounds not that great and as JoAnn points out, obviously your poor husband wasn’t healed. And now a person with a disease affecting his brain is making decisions about how his brain disease should be treated...

I hope others who have had to make decisions for an ill spouse will chime in here.

Most of the medications for Alzheimer's or dementia at best just slow the progression down, nothing more. If in fact your husband has vascular dementia,(the most aggressive of the dementias) his life expectancy is only 5 years anyway, so why not let him enjoy the peace and comfort his faith brings him? God does still heal lots of people on this side of Heaven, but some won't be healed until they leave this world for the next. My husband had vascular dementia, and died Sept. 2020,(2 1/2 years after his diagnosis) so I would just tell you to enjoy whatever time the Good Lord blesses you with your husband, and don't sweat the little things. God bless you.

That I know of there are no medications that are PROVEN to slow progression? Unless I am simply not familiar with what is being given for what reason. You may expect your DH to sink a bit more into religiosity; it isn't unusual at all. The point at which I would worry is the point it interfers with his being helped. With your husband's now suffering brain I am not certain how much you COULD interfere with his "spiritual growth". He likely will believe what he believes no matter what you say. I am assuming you are his POA. You have seen the MRI results. You understand reality. You will need to act now for your husband in his best interests, at the same time acknowledging his "spiritual needs". I do not see what can be gained by his full acceptance of his disease process, ultimately. He may in future be unable to understand such things, religion or no.
If his religion is a comfort to him now, with all the real losses that are coming, I cannot see the reason to deny him that comfort, as I said as long as it doesn't interfere with real life, which at this point YOU are in charge of and YOU must help with.
Is there some way you can help to GIVE HIM what he needs? Bible reading together? I am personally not a believer, but have read the bible more than once, and poetically alone it can be truly poetic and comforting. Might you read the bible together? Do you think that would comfort him?
As I said, there is no reason he must accept his diagnosis, and soon it will not matter at all because he will be unable to accept or understand it at all.

My 90 year old mother has been a Christian Scientist for decades. She now takes medicine because she wants to live. Her faith did not cure her from having 2 hip replacements,knee replacements,cataract surgery,aortic valve replacement. She did try to pray those away. Her practioner which is someone a CS person pays money to have pray has since died of cancer. All her friends in the religion have died. None of them had medical intervention towards the end but they did have prayer.

I admire those who have faith but I don't believe it should have precedence over the world of medicine. My mother continues to read CS material and at this point I think it's fine as she is now immobile in a NH facility. I think you can only do so much in this situation. I am familiar with amyloid diagnosis. Sadly it won't improve. I heard this directly from a neurologist. If religion is helping emotionally then there is the answer. It can be near impossible to change those beliefs in a person.

You've got a cult there, not a church.

JoAnn - I'm probably showing my prejudices here but in my experience with churches like this there is often a sharp divide between men and women and the pastor and his supporters are not very likely to be helpful to the OP, especially since she is an unbeliever.

JanBro - I don't suppose it really makes a difference in the long run whether or not your husband believes he has dementia, although as his caregiver and partner it would have been nice to perhaps buy a few more years of better cognitive health. If he gets comfort from his religion then I don't see any problem with him continuing to attend, BUT if it causes him to speak or act in any way that causes you trouble in your home or marriage that is a different story.

Honor and respect says to allow him the dignity to live and die on his own terms. You must respect his wishes, as well as this beliefs and the way that he serves his God no matter where it takes him. He will love you even more, knowing that you see him as a strong Man of God. When he leaves this world he will take solace in the fact that he has a child that respects his decisions, honors his faith and loves him enough to fight along side him through prayer and acceptance.

I would suggest that you schedule a time to talk to his pastor - one-on-one and just you and him. Explain that your DH has vascular dementia and Alzheimer's dementia. Explain that your DH believes that he is healed of his dementia and will not take medications to improve his quality of life. Ask for his help. Ask him to explain Luke 4:14-30 when Jesus did not do miracles in his hometown and Hebrews 11:35-40 when God said some did not receive their blessings on earth that they may receive something better.

As a Christian that leans into a non-denominational Protestant (I do not have Gospel background), I believe that we are to "ask God" in prayer for what we desire and He decides what to give us. I also believe that God inspired medical care experts to help us live longer, healthier lives. That the availability of this type of care is a miracle in itself. Hopefully, your DH pastor will lean in this direction. If not, please know that not all Christian leaders eschew medical care.