At long last ... I've finally launched the GoFundMe page for the Hymns for Alzheimer's Project! I started dreaming about this project months ago, so it's a little surreal to see it starting to become reality. My first team of musicians and I recorded a preliminary set of 15 songs last week, which was a … Continue reading It’s on! Hymns for Alzheimer’s Fundraiser
Hello friends! We are well on the way to finishing this labor of love: creating free downloadable hymn singalongs for elders with Alzheimer's and other dementias. I surpassed my GoFundMe goal in August -- thank you everyone! FAQ When will these songs be available for download? The first set of 58 songs are DONE! The remaining … Continue reading Hymns for Alzheimer’s: FAQ
Jump straight to my questions 🙂 I am super, super excited because I am finally getting closer to my dream project: creating a large cache of MP3 hymn recordings specifically for elders with Alzheimer's and other dementias. I've been dreaming about this project for some time. As I've been developing Spiritual ElderCare, I've realized that … Continue reading Need your feedback! Favorite hymns for elders?
Forgive me: I have been AWOL for quite a while ... but now I'm returning with renewed energy and vision for growing Spiritual ElderCare resources in 2018. Top of my list: creating downloadable, singalong hymns specifically arranged for people with Alzheimer's and dementia. This will be a BIG undertaking! I'm doing my research right now, … Continue reading Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Easter worship services for elders with dementia
Just under the wire: I finally got a chance to upload the Advent season worship services. I'm so excited about these! I love the chance to celebrate this beautiful season of hope, love, joy, and peace with elders. And we always love singing the classic Christmas hymns. Speaking of hymns: I also created a special … Continue reading Happy Advent! Worship services for elders with dementia
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?
