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A reminder to book for this conference, as places at this conference are filling up fast!
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https://bcofe.wufoo.eu/forms/dementia-matters/
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Long time, no post (things have been so busy!) but news of a dementia training day for churches later this year has spurred me back into action. The day will take place at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. The day is organised by a number of people connected with some of the larger denominations in the WM region, but is open to all. Contributors and a few workshop themes shortly to be announced - more details will be posted here in due course.
If you've been listening to the news this morning it won't have escaped your notice that Britain is hosting the first G8 summit specifically dealing with the growing challenge of dementia care worldwide. You can get the whole conference streamed live here and and read more about the three priorities (driving improvements in health and care; creating dementia-friendly communities; and improving dementia research) here.
In 2014 St Peter's Saltley Trust are planning to work together with the WM Region Churches' Forum to organise a one-day gathering of church-based projects engaged in work with the frail elderly and those with dementia, exploring our theology of ageing and good practice in developing worship, care and discipleship with those groups. More information will appear on this blog as plans progress - do contact us if you want to be kept informed. Great to spend some of this morning with Mark Fisher from the Generations Project, Solihull, an ecumenical initiative to gear up local churches to work with older adults in residential care settings. Mark is asking interesting and important questions about the meaning of old age. In earlier life people ask us 'what do you want to do when you grow up?' or 'what will you do when you retire?', but much more rarely about how we are going to prepare for 'fourth age', or indeed what our faith says about the meaning of age. Read more and contribute your own ideas via the 'Why Pappy?' thread of the Generations Project website.
The other day I spent some time talking to Barrie Jackson who is doing some great work with groups in retirement communities in his parish in Staffordshire.
Barrie explains it all started from delivering an Alpha course to a group in a local retirement village and it is from the Alpha idea that Barrie chose the name Sigma (a Greek letter much nearer the end of the Alphabet). Using the Alpha Express course DVD, he found that participants really engaged with the DVD experience and it successfully cultivated an open discussion with even the quieter residents sharing their own experiences. The purpose is not to preach but to build Christian relationships and community for those who for various reasons have been de-churched. This has been successful particularly with a group where many residents are affected by dementia as the DVD and discussion draws out memories and experiences from their lives. The Alpha Express DVD is a good starter but when the Alpha course has finished, Barrie has been using Praise DVDs such as Songs of Praise as the DVD aspect of what he does seems to be most effective. Practically speaking, Barrie suggests midmorning as residents relax over coffee is probably the best time to run such an activity. In the residents’ lounge, following a short prayer, the DVD is played and there follows a discussion, initially about a topic the DVD raises but inevitably opening up wider experiences. Sessions last about an hour and close with the Lord’s Prayer, which is a powerful tool particularly with those in the dementia setting as it is something they remember clearly. This all seems to meet a real need and be something that many churches could replicate. Often one-to-one pastoral care and sharing communion is an important part of the vicar/minister’s ministry but there is often a lack of Christian fellowship in groups in these residential settings. Providing the means for a group with simple input and a place for discussion and sharing Christ is something easy to do if there are a few people passionate and willing to do it. There is something powerful in being available to residents to share Christ and build relationships regularly (not just the annual carol service for example) for those who are isolated, lonely and de-churched. The links are often already there (through one-to-one pastoring) and it runs very easily. Barrie shared various examples of the impact it has on the residents. Various people, who have often appeared closed off and isolated, really open up in this setting, revealing a spiritual awareness below the surface. The DVD experience, particularly with the conversational and youthful style of the Alpha course was also found to be particularly energising for residents. Furthermore, the sharing of experiences and memories related to faith was something which all could participate in at a level they felt comfortable. If you are interested in finding out more, please do get in touch. Barrie is keen to share what he’s doing with others as, as he sees it, this is something effective and very easy to replicate. We would be interested in hearing any other good stories about work you know of addressing ages or life stages – let us know. A really helpful article about living with dementia by John Swinton in the Church Times last week (based on his new book: Dementia: Living in the Memories of God (SCM Press): 'Who am I, when I have forgotten who I am?' Amongst other things, he notes that we tend to invest heavily in the idea of our identity being bound up with cognition, but this not need be the measure of our selves. He quotes approvingly Christine Bryden's personal account of pre-senile dementia: 'I believe that I am much more than just my brain structure and function, which is declining daily. My creation in the divine image is as a soul capable of live, sacrifice, and hope, not as a perfect human being, in mind or body. I want you to relate to me in that way, seeing me as God sees me'. We love God not only with our minds, but also with 'heart, soul and strength', and even if our cognitive memory fades 'memory is etched into our bodies, but it is also firmly embedded within our communities'. Social theorists such as Maurice Halbwachs have recognised for some time that memory is collective - perhaps this is something which the challenge of caring for people with dementia is only now beginning to animate? If so, how can local churches stand alongside people with dementia and be that collective memory?
And on that note, we're increasingly aware of a number of projects across the region dedicated to helping the church respond to the challenge of dementia, many of which are not currently in touch with each other. Could each of these benefit from greater networking? Let us know your ideas. Our friends in the Diocese of Lichfield are undertaking work in partnership with Dementia Action Alliance during 2013 to create dementia-friendly churches. Read more at: http://www.dementiaaction.org.uk/info/2/action_plans/173/diocese_of_lichfield
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AuthorsIan Jones is Director of St Peter's Saltley Trust. Archives
October 2017
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