356. How Christian Caregivers Recognize When More Information Is Actually Needed

You may know a lot about caregiving. You may know what dementia is. You may understand a diagnosis. You may know how a medication works, what Medicare covers, or what services may be available. You may even have spent years learning, researching, listening to podcasts, reading books, or taking courses. And yet, there may still be moments when you realize: I need more information. Knowing that you need more information is different from simply feeling like you should keep researching. Sometimes the caregiving situation in front of you requires knowledge you do not yet have. That distinction is at the heart of this episode. When More Information Is Actually Needed In this episode, we will clarify: Why all knowledge begins with God Why God is omniscient while we are finite creatures who must continue learning What Proverbs teaches about the relationship between the fear of the Lord, wisdom, instruction, and knowledge Why Scripture governs our faith and life while not teaching us every practical fact we may need to know Why caregivers may need to learn specific facts about diagnoses, dementia, medications, Medicare, laws, costs, recommendations, and available services How to recognize the difference between needing more information and needing to apply or organize information you already have Why researching, reading, listening to podcasts, and taking courses can sometimes be the appropriate response Why caregiving requires both knowledge of God and knowledge of the caregiving situation How knowledge relates to responsibility, authority, stewardship, dependency, and creaturely limits What questions caregivers need to answer about what is happening, what has changed, what is available, what is recommended, and how care can be provided safely Why Caregiving System Advising depends upon having the right knowledge at the right time How Christian caregivers can continue learning while depending upon the Lord Episode Timestamps 00:00 — When more information is needed 05:31 — All knowledge begins with God 07:33 — We are finite creatures who have to learn 09:03 — Scripture does not teach every fact 11:21 — Caregiving requires both 14:18 — Recognizing a knowledge gap 15:25 — Caregiving System Advising All Knowledge Begins With God The episode begins by looking specifically at knowledge. Before considering how much information a caregiver needs, we have to recognize where knowledge ultimately begins. All knowledge begins with God. God knows everything. He is omniscient. We, however, are finite creatures. That means there are things we do not know. And because we are finite creatures, we have to learn. The episode turns to Proverbs to help establish this foundation. The Fear of the Lord and Knowledge Proverbs 1:7 says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all knowledge. And fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The episode then turns to Proverbs 2:1–6, which speaks about receiving words, seeking wisdom, calling out for understanding, and discovering the knowledge of God. The point is not simply that Christians should collect more information. It is that knowledge must be understood in relationship to God. Scripture governs our faith and life, including what we know about God, His character, His works, and His world. We Are Finite Creatures Who Have to Learn The second part of the episode recognizes something very ordinary but important: We have to learn. Children learn. They learn to read. They learn mathematics. They learn history. And learning does not stop simply because formal schooling ends. We continue to encounter situations where we need to understand something we did not previously know. Scripture expects us to continue learning. The episode connects this to wisdom, hearing, instruction, observing, considering, and learning. Proverbs 6 is also referenced in this discussion, particularly in connection with observing and considering in order to learn. Scripture Does Not Teach Us Every Fact This distinction is important. Scripture does not teach us every practical fact we may encounter. The episode uses ordinary examples such as: How a frog jumps How an ant walks What a particular contract says What Medicare will cover What a medication will or will not do What the law requires What a diagnosis involves What something costs What a particular recommendation means These are facts that may need to be learned. That does not diminish Scripture. Instead, it helps us recognize the difference between what Scripture teaches us and the practical knowledge we may need in order to understand the particular caregiving situation in front of us. Knowledge Helps Us Understand Our Reality Knowledge helps us understand the reality in front of us. Sometimes knowledge is actually the thing we need. Sometimes the appropriate response is to research. To learn. To listen to podcasts. To read. To buy a course. There are moments when the caregiver genuinely does not have the information needed to understand what is happening. In those moments, more knowledge is appropriate. The important question is being able to recognize when that is actually the problem. Caregiving Requires Both The episode's third major point is: Caregiving actually requires both. Caregiving requires knowledge of God and His Word. It also requires knowledge about the practical caregiving situation. A caregiver may need to understand: The diagnosis What dementia is doing Changes in functional abilities Medication Medicare Documents Home care Placement Cost Equipment Recommendations At the same time, caregiving is not simply a collection of facts. It involves honor, love, truthfulness, responsibility, authority, stewardship, dependency, and our creaturely limits. The caregiver has to consider what has actually been entrusted to her and what her responsibilities are before the Lord. What Information Do You Actually Need? The episode then moves into the questions that help identify whether there is a genuine knowledge gap. There may be questions about: What is happening? What changed? What is available? What is recommended? What does something cover? What authority exists? How does the medicine work? How does Medicare work? How can this care be provided safely? These are actual knowledge-gap questions. And when the problem is genuinely a lack of information: More knowledge is exactly what we need. Caregiving System Advising Depends on the Right Knowledge Caregiving System Advising does not replace knowledge. It depends on having the right knowledge at the right time. The caregiver may need to learn something first. But once the necessary information is available, the larger caregiving situation still has to be understood. The episode keeps these ideas connected rather than treating information as the entire caregiving solution. You and I Are Finite Creatures The episode brings the discussion back to our limits. You and I are not all-knowing. We are finite creatures who depend on the Lord. That means there will be things we need to learn. There will be situations where we need additional information. And recognizing that need is not a failure. It is part of being a finite creature who must continue learning while depending upon God. Ask the DigniCare™ Advisor What if you are not sure whether you need more information—or what information you actually need? Bring the caregiving situation you're trying to understand to Ask the DigniCare™ Advisor. This is an opportunity to bring a real caregiving situation and begin working through it using Caregiving System Advising. You don't need to have the entire situation figured out before you come. Bring the situation. We can work from there. 👉 Register for Ask the DigniCare™ Advisor: https://www.dignicarebydesign.com/ask/ Episode Information Episode 356. How Christian Caregivers Recognize When More Information Is Actually Needed Podcast: Dementia Caregiver Support for Christians Host: Lizette Cloete, OTR/L DigniCare™ by Design provides Caregiving System Advising through Direct Access Caregiver Advising — for the caregiver who needs to determine what knowledge is actually needed when facing a caregiving situation. This podcast makes the caregiving system visible through actual caregiving situations. It is not emergency, medical, legal, financial, or pastoral car