Happy new year! If you’ve been thinking about volunteering to lead a Bible study in a nursing home in 2024 but aren’t sure where to start, this post is for you ☺️

You Can Do This

Last week I received this wonderful email from a reader named Cindy:

“Thank you so much for these resources. I’ve been teaching verse by verse for over 20 years. For over a year I’ve been teaching at a retirement home but have recently been asked to teach in a nursing home with many residents who have dementia. I am honored but I am lost as to how to facilitate a conversation with these precious people. … I don’t know how many are believers. I don’t know how many will talk. If any can/will read. This is very different from the other studies I facilitate. Your opinion would be very much appreciated. Thank you.”

Needless to say, I love this question. My heart’s desire is that people would use my resources to take a leap of faith in leading a Bible study or worship service for elders with dementia (or simply show up and visit and pray with them). The benefits are enormous!

One idea: How about a live Q&A with me (YouTube or Facebook) on how to minister to elders with dementia? If this would interest you, please send me an email or post a comment below.

How To Get Started

Cindy is right: There are special considerations when facilitating a Bible discussion with people living with dementia (PLWD). These ideas are just a start.

First: If you have no experience at all interacting with PLWD, I suggest checking out Teepa Snow’s fabulous resources. Teepa is a true pioneer in dementia care and has a vast library of stuff both on teepasnow.com, and on her YouTube channel. Her “Gems State” model is particularly useful as a baseline for understanding where someone might be on the dementia spectrum — which will help inform your interactions. 

Second: You may have already seen my how-to articles on my Bible studies page, but in case you haven’t, start with:

• How to lead a Bible study for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias
• How to use my bible study guides

Slow Down

I include a lot of practical tips in those articles, but I want to emphasize the thing that tends to be the most helpful of all, which is simply slowing down. Slow down your speaking, slow down your movements, slow down the progression through any passage. People with dementia need more time to process things, especially words. So take your time. 

A lot of my Bible study guides are pretty long — that’s because I know people use them with groups that have a huge range of abilities. As you get to know the residents, you’ll be able to pick and choose the questions or sections that you think will work best and modify the study and its length accordingly.

Welcome Everyone

As you start up a Bible study group, you may not know how many residents are believers. Let me just say, I LOVE it when people who aren’t believers come to the group! 

Here’s my approach. I typically arrive at the care home early so I can go around and say hi to people and tell them we’re going to be having a Bible study; would they like to come?

Note that when you ask a PLWD a question that starts with “do you want to…” they often will say “no” … because that’s easier than trying to process a decision (they may have no idea what I’m talking about but they won’t want to say that). So you might get a better response with, “why don’t you join us?” or even “please join us!”

Sometimes people will say, “I’m Jewish,” or “I’m not a churchgoer” or whatever … to which I typically respond, “That’s fine! This is a discussion group for EVERYONE – no conversion required.”

You’d be surprised how many times that gets a smile and then the person decides to come (sometimes, I’m guessing, simply because they’re bored) 😇 And those same people often engage with the questions in amazing ways.

Talking … or Not

You also won’t know how many will talk. No worries – just because someone doesn’t talk doesn’t mean they’re not listening or getting something out of it. I’ve been stunned numerous times by someone piping up with a comment at the end or even after it’s over – or simply clapping or smiling or giving some other reaction. You never know what God’s Spirit is doing that we can’t see or perceive. Believe me, God is far more involved and determined to bless his children than we are. 

So even if some residents just sit there quietly through the whole thing, don’t assume they’re getting nothing out of it. Check out the story about Bettye Jo that I tell in this recent podcast. (The story’s background starts around 15:25, but the whole podcast offers helpful info on spiritual care for elders.)

Regarding reading aloud (or at all): I always start by asking someone if they would like to read the passage (or part of it) out loud; if no one volunteers, I sometimes pick someone that I know can still read (“Maxine, would you be willing to read this out loud for us? As loud as you can!”). I may stop them after a certain amount to start the discussion, then have them read another section later. 

And if they don’t get all the words right as they’re reading, who cares? You can gauge whether they need help with a certain word so they don’t get frustrated, but don’t be too quick to correct them. It’s unlikely anyone will notice if they get it “wrong.”

How To Simplify Questions About a Scripture Passage

As for which study to start with … another good question. I love that Cindy has already done verse-by-verse Bible studies for 20 years, so my format will be familiar to her.

I think line-by-line, question-based Bible study is critically important and helpful for PLWD because it’s a small amount to process and it honors their ability, however limited, to interact with the text.

If a particular question doesn’t get a response, I rephrase it, getting simpler and simpler (without going too fast; wait at least 10 seconds after a question before you repeat it or try another question).

An progressive example of simplifying a single question could look something like:

• What does a shepherd do? (No answer after 10+ seconds? Then try:)
• What is a shepherd? (No answer? Then try:)
• What is a sheep? Who takes care of them? (No answer? Then try:)
• Does a shepherd just ignore the sheep? (Yes/no questions are the most simple, and then you can build back up from there: “OK, the shepherd doesn’t ignore the sheep; the shepherd takes care of the sheep. How does a shepherd care for sheep? What do sheep need?”)

As you can tell, I think Psalm 23 might be a good one to start with. It’s so familiar, even to people who call themselves nonbelievers, that it’s easier to interact with it. The Psalms in general tend to be good for PLWD: lots of repetition with comforting and familiar themes.

Interested in a Live Q&A With Me?

Now that I’ve written this long reply, I’m wondering: Would people be interested in a live YouTube discussion with me to ask questions and get ideas about spiritual care for PLWD? If so, please comment below or send me a note.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and further questions.

My prayer is that this information will help you feel more confident as you follow God’s lead. As you serve elders’ spiritual needs, I am confident you’ll be blessed beyond what you can ask or even imagine (Eph. 3:20-21).

Peace be with you,

Photo by alpay tonga on Unsplash