St Joseph’s, Wetherby are now the 4th Parish in our Diocese to start the process of becoming a recognised ‘dementia-friendly Parish’.
Thank you to all the people who attended ‘Becoming a Dementia-Friendly Parish’ session on Monday 18th July. Growing Old Grace-fully was given such a warm welcome on a very warm evening, and 15 people each became a Dementia Friend.
A dementia-friendly Parish is one where people with dementia are understood, respected and supported and are confident they can contribute to Parish life.
Earlier the same day, Growing Old Grace-fully received our Award from Bradford & District Dementia Action Alliance (DAA), in recognition of our work. Here’s Trustee Ann West receiving our Certificate from Chris North of Bradford DAA.
Would you like you like your Parish to think about growing in dementia-friendliness? Please email Rachel at growing.old.gracefully@dioceseofleeds.org.uk or call 07702 255142 to book your session or find out more.
Thank you to all the people who attended ‘Becoming a Dementia-Friendly Parish’ session at Corpus Christi on Wednesday 18th May. Growing Old Grace-fully was given such a warm welcome and there was lots of interesting and lively interaction which resulted in 20 people each becoming a Dementia Friend.
Dementia isn’t a natural part of ageing. One of the people we talked about was Christine Bryden, a top civil servant, who was diagnosed with dementia in 1995 at the age of 46. ‘My journey’, she wrote, ‘is to the inner self; to the reflection in the divine within. This is what gives me an abiding sense of meaning as I travel the journey from diagnosis to death.’ She’s now 66 and still giving talks about what it means to live with dementia. Christine Bryden’s books “Who will I be when I die?” and “Dancing with dementia” are published by Jessica Kingsley.
This week is The Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Awareness Week (15th – 20th May), and this year’s focus is to encourage anyone who is worried about dementia to confront their concerns and get in touch.
If you’re worried that you, or someone close to you, might have dementia, the National Dementia Helpline is there to offer advice and support on 0300 222 1122 or email helpline@alzheimers.org.uk.
Here at Growing Old Grace-fully we wanted to write our own messages to Dementia, and help us show people who are worried that they’re not alone.
There are lots of events happening this week so here’s a link to the Yorkshire events: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/events.php?categoryID=200223 and we are running a short one hour session on ‘Becoming a Dementia-Friendly Parish’ this week on Wednesday 18th May at Corpus Christi, Neville Road, Leeds LS9 0HD at 7.00pm – 8.00pm.
It is easy to assume our parishes are automatically dementia-friendly. How could we who aspire to follow Jesus think it is acceptable to exclude anyone? Yet often people with dementia, and their families, do have that experience of feeling marginalised. To be a dementia-friendly parish is to find ways to include people with dementia, so that they are helped to experience life in all its fullness and they know they are not alone.
Growing Old Grace-fully led two short sessions recently for people wanting to know more about Growing A Dementia-Friendly Parish at St Joseph’s, Pudsey and St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Shipley.
Dementia Friends from Shipley’s St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
Thank you to everyone who supported these hour-long sessions which resulted in 21 new Dementia Friends. Having Dementia Friends in a Parish is a great way to change the way people think, act and talk about dementia and is a real start to becoming a Dementia-Friendly Parish.
It’s easy to assume our parishes are dementia-friendly… how could we who aspire to follow Jesus think it is acceptable to exclude anyone? Yet people living with dementia, and their families, do often have that experience of feeling marginalised. Being dementia-UNfriendly doesn’t happen because people want to exclude someone. It’s often a lack of understanding about dementia or even misplaced kindness. To be a Dementia-Friendly Parish is to engage in the process that will find ways to include people with dementia, so that they are helped to experience life in all its fullness.
Growing a Dementia-Friendly Parish is always work in progress. It will take on a life of its own, develop and grow. Congratulations to the Parishes of St Joseph’s and St Teresa Benedicta for starting the journey.
If you would like to book a one hour information session on Growing A Dementia-Friendly Parish, or simply want to know more, please call Rachel on 07702 255142 or email growing.old.gracefully@dioceseofleeds.org.uk .
May we be blessed with the promise of rebirth wherever we are and whoever we may be.
May the birds carol and rejoice that we are all alive under one sky
May our spirits unfurl like a sunflower following the arc of light
And may we all feel the blessing of this good earthAnd rejoice in the good news of this Easter and a Joyful Springtime.
(adapted from an Irish blessing)
Dear friend
After a long wet and windy Winter, what a joy it is to see the world around us coming back to life with spring flowers, fresh buds, blossoms, birds singing their hearts out, new born lambs. All these wonderful signs of life continually renewed.
At Growing Old Grace-fully we have been thinking and praying about where we need to focus our efforts in the coming year – a renewal of our approach. We have asked the questions “What is the difference we want to make in the Diocese?” and “What are the changes we would like to see in the parishes relating to older people and later life by 2018?”
Our purpose has not changed. We will continue to seek to raise awareness of the spiritual and practical needs of older people, and their contribution to our communities across the Diocese of Leeds. We want to focus more of our efforts on inspiring and supporting practical actions within the parishes by:
Offering information, support and advice to parishes
Encouraging dementia-friendly parishes.
The spiritual needs of people with dementia, and their carers, is often overlooked. To be a dementia-friendly parish is to find ways to include people with dementia so that they are helped to experience life in all its fullness. Rachel Walker, our project worker, is a Dementia Champion and is leading a number of short sessions on Becoming a Dementia-Friendly Parish at:
St Joseph’s, Pudsey Monday 18th April, 7.30pm-8.30pm
St Walburga’s, Shipley Tuesday 19th April, 7.45pm-8.45pm
Corpus Christi, Leeds 9 Wednesday 18th May, 7.00pm-8.00pm
To understand how your parish can work towards becoming dementia-friendly, or to discuss other ways of valuing and supporting people in later life, please call Rachel on (07702) 255142 or email growing.old.gracefully@dioceseofleeds.org.uk .
God does not value people according to their memory and skills but loves each one of us unconditionally. The work of Growing Old Grace-fully aims to help the Church to be aware of the effects of mental and physical diminishment on older members, but also to cherish the blessings of ageing… the potential and the joys. Fr Ralph Woodall SJ writes:
“The task and privilege of older people is to gather, appreciate more deeply and treasure the hints of God’s presence that they have known and generously to share the wisdom that they have received as gift from God.
It may be that the wisdom is still implicit: they have not quite appreciated how important have been those occasions in their lives where they have helped others or been helped by others.
Older members of the community should have no need to be independent; they can help others to realise how inter-dependence is part of God’s plan for our lives, for building his kingdom.
This can make older people very precious in the Christian community.”
Warmest thanks for your interest in and support of our work across the Diocese.
Every Blessing.
Pippa Bonner, Trustee Carol Burns, Trustee Anne Forbes, Trustee
Paul Grafton, Chair Cath Mahoney, Trustee Mgr Peter Rosser, Trustee
One of our trustees, Pippa, led a talk about Dementia within a Charismatic Day in our Diocese in the context of The Year of Mercy. Pippa defined Mercy in this context principally as compassion. Fr Keen’s quotation is particularly relevant for those living with dementia and their carers.
Mercy is the willingness to enter the chaos of someone else’s life. James F Keen, SJ
The talk included helpful advice when speaking with a person with dementia who has had a bereavement. Maria Longfellow, an Occupational Therapist, put the material together from a number of sources. It is an area that many wonder how best to handle but here are some resources that might be helpful.
“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come” Alfred Tennyson
At Growing Old Grace-fully we have all sat down together at the beginning of this month to think about where we need to focus our efforts in the coming year. We have asked the questions “What is the difference we want to make in the Diocese?” “What are the changes we would like to see in the parishes relating to older people and later life by 2018?” So like the Roman God Janus (from which January takes its name) who is depicted with two faces, one looking backwards and one forwards, we have found ourselves reflecting on past events whilst looking ahead to new possibilities.
One of the possibilities we would like to encourage, is to have more dementia-friendly parishes. Growing Old Grace-fully have registered our plans to be dementia-friendly and you can view our Action Plans here http://www.dementiaaction.org.uk/members_and_action_plans/3926-growing_old_grace-fully .
If you think your Parish might be interested in working to become dementia-friendly, please call Rachel on 07702 255142 or email growing.old.gracefully@dioceseofleeds.org.uk . We can also offer Dementia Friends Information Sessions for Parish groups to help individuals have an understanding of dementia and the small things that you can do that make a difference.
May the God of new beginnings give us hope and encouragement as this New Year opens before us with all its challenges. And may God, creator, Son and comforter be with us now and always. Amen.
In the 29th August edition of ‘The Tablet’, there is an excellent interview with Fr Michael McCarthy, our own local poet-priest, focusing on his eagerly awaited third collection of poems, The Healing Station. This is the fruit of a three-month creative writing post in the Adelaide and Meath Hospital in Dublin, working with acute stroke and dementia patients. As the article concludes, dementia is reaching epidemic proportions and none of us can afford to ignore it. There is a growing awareness in many parishes of the challenges this poses and people are beginning to ask the question “How can we make our churches more dementia-friendly, more inclusive?” All too often, people with dementia and their families become excluded and marginalised.
An upcoming event organised by Growing Old Grace-fully will provide an opportunity to hear more about Fr Michael’s writing and his experience of working with people with dementia and their carers in hospital, and in his life as a parish priest.
On Saturday 12th September at St Aidan’s Parish Hall,31 Baildon Road, Shipley BD17 6AQ, Growing Old Grace-fully is holding a day on dementia: “Welcoming People with Dementia”. This day is intended for all those involved with caring for or ministering to people with dementia. Eucharistic Ministers or SVP members wanting to learn more about dementia and how to make a visit to someone with dementia easier and more meaningful for both parties will find this day very helpful. Liturgists too may find this useful for planning prayers and services which people with dementia might attend.
Fr Michael is speaking alongside Rev. Gaynor Hammond, a Baptist Minister, who has encouraged churches to become more dementia friendly and has written a number of books full of practical ideas to help parishes, including “Help, We have Dementia!” and “Growing Dementia-Friendly Churches.”
If you would like to discuss how Growing Old Grace-fully might help support older people in your parish then please visit our contact page here and get in touch.
Earlier the same day, Growing Old Grace-fully received our Award from Bradford & District Dementia Action Alliance (DAA), in recognition of our work. Here’s Trustee Ann West receiving our Certificate from Chris North of Bradford DAA.
