LOUISVILLE, Ky. (RNS) — They sat in a circle in a room usually used by high schoolers and talked about the people they loved who no longer recognized them or who had died forgetting the names of family caregivers in their last days. The Alzheimer’s caregiver support group on a campus of Southeast Christian Church started with a devotional lesson referring to Charlie Brown pal Linus’ lack of fear as he told the story of the birth of Jesus. “It’s only through our relationship with Christ that we can have the inner peace that can help us just get through the day,” said a facilitator before the group of 10 bowed their heads for an opening prayer. Her petition acknowledged the challenges of both caring for someone and coping with the “job” being done if that someone had recently died. The monthly caregivers’ gathering at this evangelical megachurch is among the hundreds of support groups held at houses of worship and affiliated with the Alzheimer’s Association. From the nearby … [Read more...]

(RNS) — When a congregant has dementia, what can a house of worship do? Though each person is different and advice varies depending on an individual’s condition, here are some basic do’s and don’ts from experts on how congregations and individuals can help and not hurt. CONGREGATIONS DO’S Visit people in homes, at care facilities Offer respite to caregivers Create support group; connect with local ones Hold a hymn sing; recite traditional prayers Use name tags DON’TS Don’t exclude (make accommodations instead) Don’t offer traditional service in home setting Don’t give weekend sermon at weekday nursing home visit INDIVIDUALS DO’S Treat people with respect Reintroduce yourself Sing; make a playlist of favorite hymns and songs Listen and validate feelings Phone caregivers DON’TS Don’t ask “Do you remember me?” Don’t be condescending (treat like adults, not children) Don’t try to correct (accept their reality) … [Read more...]

RICHLANDTOWN, Pa. (RNS) — The seven women, most in wheelchairs, sat in a semicircle facing stained-glass windows and an altar topped with a cross and a statuette of Jesus holding a lamb. Underneath the draped table was an ark-shaped container brimming with small stuffed animals. “Spirit Alive,” a weekly multisensory worship service for people with mid- to late-stage dementia, was about to begin at a United Church of Christ-affiliated skilled nursing center 50 miles north of Philadelphia. The Rev. Jamie Moyer carried out the day’s theme of creation by leading “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” holding up pictures of colorful flowers and passing out the soft toys, with each woman choosing one to hold. “God looked at you and said, ‘Oh, I created you, Ruth,” she said to one resident, as she held up a mirror to the woman’s face and went around the semicircle to affirm each person. “‘I love you very, very much.’” The 45-minute service, held at each of Phoebe Ministries’ … [Read more...]

(RNS) — A strong faith could be the key to a good night’s sleep, according to a studyreleased this week in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Researchers found that those who believe in salvation and feel they have an unshakable relationship with God tend to sleep longer, fall asleep faster and feel more rested in the morning, according to Terrence D. Hill, associate professor at the University of Arizona School of Sociology. Hill, a co-author of the study, “Sleep Quality and the Stress-Buffering Role of Religious Involvement: A Mediated Moderation Analysis,” said the findings aren’t surprising to him. “If you believe a higher power is out there looking out for you, then what you’re going through now is temporary,” he said. “These worldly experiences are temporary.” Those beliefs, he explained, help one feel less stress by giving a sense of hope and reducing sadness, and therefore sleeping better. “It makes intuitive sense,” said co-author Reed T. … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (RNS) — When geropsychologist Benjamin Mast evaluates dementia clients at his University of Louisville research lab, there’s a question some people of faith ask him: “What if I forget about God?” It’s a query that reflects the struggles of people facing diseases like Alzheimer’s. The earliest stages of Alzheimer’s involve the buildup of protein fragments, or plaques, on some brain cells and the growth of twisted fibers, or tangles, within those cells. That process, Mast said in an interview, “damages a particular aspect of the memory system more significantly than others.” In his book, “Second Forgetting: Remembering the Power of the Gospel During Alzheimer’s Disease,” Mast describes a man who may not always remember his grown children’s names but “quickly joins in” when someone reads one of his favorite psalms. Mast said what remains intact is the part of the memory that’s held longest. In some cases, that relates to faith: hymns and creeds that people … [Read more...]

(RNS) — Each semester, the LIFE program at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., which is associated with Churches of Christ, pairs traditional students with inmates serving time in the Tennessee Prison for Women. This week, the most high-profile graduate of that academic program — offered behind the prison’s locked steel doors and razor-wire perimeter — made national headlines when Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam granted her full clemency. Cyntoia Brown will be released Aug. 7 after serving 15 years in the 2004 murder of Johnny Allen, 43, whom Brown shot to death when she was 16. “This decision comes after careful consideration of what is a tragic and complex case,” Haslam said in a news release. “Cyntoia Brown committed, by her own admission, a horrific crime at the age of 16. “Yet, imposing a life sentence on a juvenile that would require her to serve at least 51 years before being eligible for parole consideration is too harsh, especially in light of the extraordinary … [Read more...]