What’s Going On – Dementia In Community – January 20, 2026
Last June we brought sunflowers forward on a Sunday morning in a visual activity to see just how prevalent cognition and memory challenges are in our church family. A few months ago, about 45 members of our congregation gathered to enjoy some pizza and learn about how to support families in our community struggling with dementia. Jacklyne from the Alzheimer Society taught us details about the specifics of the disease and gave us some excellent tips for walking alongside people with dementia and their families. She covered offering assistance to someone with dementia, creating dementia-friendly signage, adjusting our built environment to be more dementia friendly, and other topics. You can find the slides for her presentation here. She also sent us links to more information on becoming a more dementia friendly community, which you can access here. (Please contact the office if you can’t access the materials through links above. We’re happy to help).
After Jacklyne’s presentation, we had some Q&A and community conversation. At the end of the evening, I promised that I would give an update in the future on our congregation’s next steps for supporting families who struggle with dementia. This is that update. :)
Though memory and cognition loss is a truly daunting part of life that touches most Canadian families at some point, there are specific things we can do to support one another in this area as the body of Christ. Here are some steps we have taken and further steps we can take on this road together.
Staff:
● Your pastors regularly pray for families who struggle with dementia and meet with them for spiritual support. We have reviewed the information from the Alzheimer’s society together and will integrate it into pastoral care conversations with folks of all ages. We are increasing our awareness of who in our congregation struggles with dementia and are working with the pastoral care team to increase our engagement in supportive conversations with affected families in our congregation.
● Before the holidays, we set aside some time in a staff meeting to go over Jacklyne’s slides and review what measures we are already taking and could take in the future to help support those with dementia in the building and in the context of worship. A few of the things we discussed were signage, liturgy, transcription of services, creating lower-anxiety worship spaces for those with dementia, and resources for congregants.
● I met with the library team, and we agreed on some titles to add to our library to start a small section on dementia support for families, as well as some devotional materials that appeal to those with cognition challenges that can be shared with their families. These titles are being ordered, and you will see them in the library soon.
Council:
● Elders will continue to engage with one another on how to support those struggling with dementia and their families. We have had conversations about visits with those who struggle in this way, normalizing memory and cognition challenges in visits, as well as other relevant topics.
● Deacons continue to be sensitive to the needs of congregants and have stepped in to provide practical support as needed.
● Our full council recently received education from Tim Guther on identifying potential fraud attempts for older congregants which touches on this topic as well. We hope to continue to offer this valuable training periodically.
Pastoral and diaconal workers:
● If you are a pastoral or diaconal worker, you are already engaging in loving support of congregants in this way. If you would like more information on how to support those with dementia and their families, take a look at the slides attached here, review some of the new library material when it arrives, or schedule a meeting with me to talk about it.
You!: Are you not already in one of these categories? Here are some ways you can help:
● Consider becoming an elder for a hands-on approach to supporting your fellow community members, or if a deacon if you have a heart for meeting practical needs.
● Consider becoming a Ministry of Service Coordinator if gifts of loving service such as driving, organizing, or cooking are part of how you are called to serve.
● Take a look at our new library materials when they arrive if you need support yourself as you care for or companion a loved one with dementia.
● Review the slides linked above and consider talking to your elder about how we can all support each other more.
● Do you have a heart for education? We have a lovely Bible study program that is designed to appeal to people of all ages and uses visuals, a clear format, and simple lessons to engage those who may have memory or cognition challenges in scripture. Perhaps you know someone you would like to use this Bible study with, or perhaps you’d like to start a Bible study at Deer Park Villa. Several times they have asked our church if anyone would like to volunteer there in this capacity.
Quick Tips: Finally, here are some quick tips I’ve picked up while researching this and engaging in pastoral care:
● Visitor log: If you have a loved one who has trouble remembering when friends and family have last seen them, consider giving them a visitor’s log. This is a practical way for folks to look back and remember when they last saw family, and can help them feel more supported in their memory loss.
● White board: If appointments and other dates are hard to remember, talk with your family member about using a whiteboard to write down important information like appointments, family visits, etc. This is more easily seen than a date book that can be easily misplaced, and all family members who come would be able to see it and stay informed as well.
● Spiritual Eldercare (link): The recreation facilitator at one of our local long-term care homes told me about this website. It’s full of wonderful resources like YouTube worship services, Bible Studies, hymn sheets, and specific prayers/blessings all geared towards those who benefit from clarity and brevity in their worship. It also includes helpful blog posts and links to playlists of classic hymns.
● Community conversations: It feels so deeply unfair that after a lifetime of autonomy and care of others, we often need to let our family help us make decisions about our care. If conversations of this nature are intimidating for you or your family, reach out to your elder or myself if you would like to prayerfully navigate this together in community.
● Alzheimer’s society: If your family is struggling with memory or cognition loss of a loved one for any reason, reach out to the Alzheimer’s society if you haven’t already done so. They provide practical support and education for those struggling with dementia and their families.
● Normalize, but respect personal narratives: As we age our minds are as likely to experience wear-and-tear as any other part of our bodies. It is healthy to normalize these experiences. However, if your loved one wants to avoid certain language around this issue like “dementia” or “Alzheimer’s,” it’s a kindness to respect their need to make sense of what is happening on their own terms.
● Grace: Like in every challenging area of life, we will make mistakes as we struggle to love one another well when it comes to dementia. Remember that the God of grace is not holding our mistakes against us, so neither should we. This is hard. Go ahead and give you and your family some grace. A loving attempt is far better than a perfect plan.
Pastor Jolene