As people age, many of the things they did with ease when they were younger become increasingly difficult.
This isn’t only because of normal body changes. It’s often also caused by memory changes associated with dementia, physical illness or trauma.
In her role as director of senior adult ministry at Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church, Elaine Burrell became well-acquainted with how such changes can affect the older members of the congregation.
“Every church has members whose physical health changes over time and, of course, our church is no exception,” Burrell said.
Burrell noted that while San Diego has many agencies to support the physical, social, intellectual and emotional needs of people experiencing memory changes, as well as those of their families, a key area was not being addressed — their spiritual needs.
So, Community Presbyterian Church has taken on a role in helping them maintain their spiritual health through newly released videos called “Red Brick Church Memory Care Worship Services.”
“We wanted something reflective of our unique church community and wanted the warmth and Christian love conveyed to be felt by those watching,” Burrell said. “We wanted to clearly convey a spiritual message that would reach the heart and soul of the viewer.”
The church determined that pre-recorded services available online would reach the most people. The result was four videos, with each service lasting less than 12 minutes and consisting of a traditional hymn, a simplified sermon, The Lord’s Prayer and calming imagery.
“From our research, for example, we knew that music was often recognized even in the last stages of dementia, as are familiar scripture and prayers,” Burrell said. “We chose hymns and scriptures that an older generation might remember from their youth.”
Visual cues, such as stained glass in the church and a cross on a table, were used to clearly indicate a church setting and service.
All the services in the videos are similar to give the seniors a familiar routine, Burrell said. The services are appropriate for any season.
Retired pastor Ben Lindstrom provided the sermons.
“He was the perfect pastor to do this … some of the viewers have already commented they can feel the warmth coming through his services,” Burrell said.
Once the services were recorded, more than 1,000 church members were notified through email. Burrell also provided information about the services to several memory care facilities in the area.
She has even taken her computer to the bedsides of people who might not be able to watch the videos otherwise.
An ensemble of the church choir produced all the music in the services and sang from the church sanctuary.
“Music is one of the strongest ways to bring back memory,” said Eugenia Welch, president and chief executive of Alzheimer’s San Diego.
The smaller bites of information in the shorter services, presented in a clear, concise way, are very important to a person with dementia, as are the visual cues and imagery, Welch added.
“They went to great pains to do this properly,” she said. “Keeping up the person’s routine is so important for mental and spiritual health.”
The church’s efforts already have been recognized by the larger Presbyterian Church, which Burrell said plans to include the services in its online resources for senior citizens on its website, pcusa.org.
Once people whose loved ones, or even themselves, start experiencing cognitive changes or memory loss, they start attending church services less frequently, Burrell said.
Rather than accept the status quo, Burrell and the congregational care team reached out to discover specifically why the members were no longer attending church as regularly.
“We discovered that it was becoming increasingly difficult for individuals to engage in the services in several ways,” Burrell said. “Following along with scripture became confusing, socializing at church became awkward or difficult, the length of services was fatiguing and a full-length sermon became difficult to follow.”
She added that sometimes even the task of getting dressed and ready for church became too hard for people or their families.
That was the case for parishioner Leona Sharp, for whom being able to watch services on her own schedule was highly appreciated, according to her daughter, Anita.
Leona was a member of Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church for more than 50 years before her recent death at age 94, but she stopped going when it became too difficult for her physically to get there and sit for an hour.
She did have “ministry come to her in person about twice a month,” Anita said.
“We knew that special services for people experiencing memory loss had been done before, so we first starting thinking about how we might be able to offer something similar,” Burrell said.
She said church workers spent a few months conducting research. They watched currently available “dementia-friendly” worship services online. They met with a representative of Alter, a group that provides such services.
They also consulted with Alzheimer’s San Diego.
“For those with dementia, caretakers should do what they can to keep their routine. If worship services or attending church has been an important part of their life, that should be maintained as much as possible,” Welch said.
If the recordings prove popular and helpful, the church might produce more for the holidays or other special seasons, Burrell said.
The services are posted on the church’s YouTube page as a playlist so they can be watched individually or continuously.
“We want people to know that whether you’re affiliated with a church or not, if you’re experiencing memory issues, you are not forgotten,” Burrell said.
Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church is at 2128 Chatsworth Blvd. For more information, visit pointlomachurch.org/memorycareworship or call (619) 223-1633.
