Nurturing the spiritual health of someone with dementia is an act of Christian love that preserves their dignity and affirms their personhood. As churches, we have a unique opportunity – indeed, a calling – to respond to this need by finding ways to make worship accessible to people experiencing cognitive change. In this webinar, faith leaders at Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church in San Diego shared how they created special worship services for those in their community. The webinar was led by Rev. Ben Lindstrom and Elaine Burrell.
What we know about people experiencing dementia/cognitive change:
- Communication must be simplified for them to understand.
- Their attention span is typically shorter.
- Visual cues help them recognize familiar things/places.
- Although they may not recognize a person or a place, they will still be able to receive the feeling (emotional effect) of the encounter, and this is more important than the content they retain.
- Maintaining their routine and activities that they once enjoyed and valued, in some form, is beneficial.
- Familiar music is one of the memories they retain the longest.
- Spiritual well-being is important throughout life.
Point Loma Church authored a PCUSA QuickSheet on developing a dementia-friendly worship service. View the QuickSheet for suggestions about elements, hymns, themes, and stories to include in your services for this community. Also find tips for choosing whether to offer your worship in-person or recorded and how to promote your services.
More Resources From the Webinar
- News coverage of Point Loma’s dementia-friendly worship services
- POAMN’s Resource Library
- Alter Dementia
Organization providing resources for faith communities to create dementia-friendly and inclusive environments - Faith Village Research
YouTube channel with resources about Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias for faith communities - Spiritual Elder Care
Resources to meet the spiritual needs of elders, especially those with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias - Alzheimer’s Association
Find your Alzheimer’s Association local chapter