Dementia Friendly Church
LEAD: Helen Denham
An Authorised Lay Minister at St James & Emmanuel, Helen is the church’s Dementia Champion. She has received training from the Alzheimer’s Society and the Diocese of Manchester in order to raise awareness and enable churches to become Dementia Friendly.
Also on this page: FAQ | Further information
Where we are now
St James & Emmanuel is becoming a place where dementia, in all its forms, is recognised and people living with dementia can continue to live out their faith in a meaningful and accessible way.
An audit identified the areas of practice and physical surroundings that were not helpful to someone with dementia. This informed an action plan, with the church staff team and the PCC involved at all key stages.
Modifications to date include:
- dementia-friendly signs placed around both churches and the parish centre
- areas of possible tripping hazards identified and corrected
- written material provided in a readable font with a slightly larger font size
- dark coloured door mats replaced with lighter coloured ones
- assistance at Holy Communion
A Dementia Café run by the NHS had been hosted for some time at Home Community Café , based in Emmanuel church. When NHS funding was removed, the church took over running this service with the support of volunteers, along with an Admiral Nurse and a representative from the local Carer Support Group.
A dementia awareness church service , streamed in May 2020 during the lockdown, was well received. It marked Dementia Action Week and highlighted the work of those who care for the vulnerable, both professionally and as family and friends.
What we have learned
Deciding to undertake the dementia audit and then appoint and train a Dementia Champion was the right order in which to begin.
Completing easily achievable actions such as signage and tripping hazards first has given a sense of achievement and shown the congregation that changes are underway.
Providing listening and prayer support for carers has been very successful, with a monthly Carer Support Group for those who are looking after adults with dementia. This group has been broadened to include carers of adults in other circumstances, as many of the frustrations and concerns are comparable.
Some things are proving more difficult to achieve and some things have not been judged correctly. We have not yet managed to fully embed the concept of a Dementia Friendly church within the congregation. We have learned that dementia is a difficult subject that people may not want to address, while others find it very upsetting because of past or present experiences.
We tried to run a Dementia Friends session in a Home Group setting (with participants consent), but this was not successful. The setting needs to be one where people are able to absent themselves from the session, without upsetting others, if they become uncomfortable.
Due to the limitations of the software at one of our churches, we have not yet managed to improve the projection of the wording and hymns used in services to a format that is totally dementia friendly.
What we plan to do
We are aware that becoming a Dementia Friendly church is a big undertaking that can realistically only be done in small stages. For this reason, 10 steps to becoming a Dementia Friendly Church have been identified, discussed and approved by the PCC. Each year the PCC will agree three actions to work on.
We plan to join the Dementia Action Alliance and provide information about the work we are doing in order to be able to use the ‘Working to become Dementia Friendly’ logo.
We are looking to persuade those in charge of the music in services to include more traditional hymns on a regular basis.
More Dementia Friends sessions will be given to increase the number of Dementia Friends in the church. When we are satisfied that our changes are working well within the church, we will look to providing Dementia Friends awareness to the wider local community.
Dementia Church awareness sessions will also be run and opened up to outside interest.
Frequently asked questions
How do we know how dementia friendly our church is already?
Use the Audit tool developed by the Diocese of Lichfield to show what actions may be needed. Once an action plan is in place there is a structure to follow.
Should only one person be responsible for making the changes required?
It is useful to have one person who will be the Dementia Co-ordinator to lead on the work but the actions can be shared amongst several members of the church family who will report back to the co-ordinator. The Staff Team should always be involved and also the PCC.
Aren’t people afraid of talking about dementia?
Yes it is true, dementia is an uncomfortable subject, but the more we remove the myths around dementia by creating Dementia Friends amongst the congregation, talking about dementia in general conversations and mentioning dementia in the intercession the fear will be lessened.
Further information
10 steps to becoming a Dementia Friendly Church
Practical advice for church services
Dementia Friendly Church audit template (Diocese of Lichfield)
Helping those who live with dementia
Christine Bryden, author of ‘Who will I be when I die?’, gives an insider’s perspective on what you can do to help a person with dementia.
The importance of music
Henry, resident in a nursing home, reacts to hearing music from his era.
Useful organisations
The Dementia Engagement and Empowerment Project (DEEP) engages and empowers people living with dementia to influence attitudes, services and policies that affect their lives.
The Alzheimer’s Society offers resources, support and advice and campaigns for a cure.
Interesting books
Dancing with Dementia by Christine Bryden
The Memory Handbook on the Alzheimer’s Society website
Dementia Together on the Alzheimer’s Society website
Memory Lane Books by Hugh Morrison
Page updated: 17July 2020.