According to Alzheimer Society Canada, over 564,000 Canadians are living with dementia. This number is expected to almost double in 15 years. Currently, 1.1 million Canadians are affected by the disease, either directly or indirectly. Predominantly, dementia affects men and women over the age of 65 more than the young. Women over 65 are more likely to experience dementia than men, and women are more likely to be caregivers for those with dementia. About 16,000 people under the age of 65 are affected with dementia.
Understanding Dementia
Dementia generally affects the memory, but it is a complex symptom associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions. Patients with dementia don’t only lose memories, they can become aggressive and agitated. Dementia patients may wander and then forget where they are. Taking care of someone with dementia is challenging, even for professional caregivers. Patients may experience delusions and hallucinations. When a person becomes worse later in the day, it’s called sundowning. The dementia patient may have more difficulty performing simple tasks that they could do earlier or might become more demanding as the evening hours approach.
Staying connected to the community is one way to help dementia patients have a fuller quality of life. It’s important to have ways to remember the things that once brought meaning to someone’s life. Rituals are often ingrained into one’s being and can offer a peace to individuals with dementia. The liturgies of faith and hymns that have been sung for years can help someone remember the feelings of solace and comfort associated with worship. Reaching a patient who is in the middle to later stages of Alzheimer’s disease isn’t easy, but researchers have discovered ways to tap into the memories of these patients through multi-sensory techniques.
What Is the Church Doing?
With so many individuals facing dementia in the next few years, the church has got to address this epidemic. No, the church can’t be expected to medically treat these people, but these are the same ones who sat in churches for years. Their pastors and church friends are also affected by the dementia. Members of a congregation want to help patients, but it’s hard to know what to do. The Church of England is re-examining its style of service to see how and what the church can do to prepare for a time when potentially millions of people are dealing with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
How Dementia Affects Worship and Memory
The idea is that the familiar prayers and scriptures, learned in childhood, can provide moments of clarity for the patients. For these people, it might help to go back to the original language of the King James version of the Bible in which “thy” and “thine” are used instead of the less formal “you” and “your.” Another suggestion is to use prayer books with textile covers. The church is suggesting that congregations experiment with different aspects of service to include pictures, symbols and elements of touch. Some churches have already been giving dementia sufferers items to hold during service to help them stay focused. Even when an individual can’t get to a church, these same ideas could assist during times of stress. People of faith, especially long-time believers, find that scripture provides comfort. If caregivers can tap into these memories, it might help a sufferer find clarity, just for a few minutes or maybe even longer.
The Church of England is aware that this mission will be costly, but it says that it must be a priority for the body of Christ. When you meet people where they are with worship, it brings inclusivity. It helps caregivers and patients. Let’s not forget the people who are living with dementia in our churches. What can your church do to reach out to members who have forgotten their story?
