If you're in the Boulder, CO, area, here's a heads up: I'm giving a "Roots" (55+ Sunday School) talk this coming Sunday, October 22, 10:45am, at First Presbyterian Church. We'll be meeting upstairs in Geneva Room 270. My subject (no surprise) is: Spiritual Elder Care: How to Minister to People with Alzheimer's and Other Dementias. … Continue reading Upcoming talk: Sun., Oct 22, First Pres Boulder, 10:45am
Chip Gaines, half of the now-famous "Fixer Upper" couple (who are just as cute as can be), created a cool contest, called #ChipStarter, to fund people's audacious dreams. I figured, hey, I have a dream ... why not enter? So I took the plunge and submitted a video and description for my dream of creating … Continue reading #ChipStarter: Music for elders with Alzheimer’s
How do elders with little to no cognitive ability access spiritual truths?
This week's eldercare worship service focused on compassion, especially as seen in the life of Mother Teresa, whose birthday was August 27. I often focus these services on some aspect of the life of faith. For this service, I printed out a large photo of Mother Teresa and held it up, asking "I wonder if … Continue reading Compassion and Mother Teresa
Often, when I tell elders that I’m a chaplain, the first thing they want to know is “who are you with?” They mean church. It’s a natural question, especially for the senior generation, who grew up with clear categories of religious denominations (Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopal, Catholic, etc.). Without making a short story long: … Continue reading What does it mean to be a chaplain?
I've been pondering why I don't see very much spiritual care happening for people with Alzheimer's and dementia. Despite research that seniors with dementia value and benefit from spiritual care, I haven't come across very many people or places that actually provide it. Why? There are probably numerous reasons, but I think the main disconnect … Continue reading Why is spiritual care for elders with dementia so rare?
I've enjoyed a different work rhythm this week (mostly because my editing work hit a lull), so I've updated Spiritual ElderCare with new Bible studies and worship services I created over the past several weeks. I hope these give you some direction as you seek to meet the spiritual needs of elders. I also reformatted … Continue reading New Bible studies and worship services for elders with dementia and Alzheimer’s
Insights from Chad Federwitz, friend and senior care director whose research focuses on spirituality and dementia.
Happy Pentecost Sunday! I really enjoyed the eldercare church services this week because we talked about the day that God sent his Spirit to the very first Christ-believers. I created a new service for Pentecost Sunday, which is now uploaded on the site. Beyond words It’s interesting to note how the writer of Acts 2 … Continue reading Pentecost Sunday: a service for those with Alzheimer’s
Without a doubt, music reaches something inside of elders that nothing else does, and it's miraculous and joyful to witness. I've seen time and again how seniors with Alzheimer's or dementia -- even people who might otherwise be nonverbal -- start singing the words to classic hymns as soon as the music starts playing. (To get a taste … Continue reading Create a hymn playlist for an elder
