Society is much more aware of dementia and the impact that it has on individuals, families and friends and there are strong movements to ensure that our communities are or should become dementia friendly. This has been looked at in relation to the communities in which we live but Faith in Older People (FiOP) wants to ensure that this is particularly related to faith communities which play a vital part in the lives of many older people.
Generally congregations are welcoming to those who are experiencing dementia but FiOP wants to support them in further developing the way in which everyone is included and able to participate in worship, prayer and the social aspects of belonging to a faith community.
The aim of the FiOP project is to encourage people to talk about dementia and their understanding of what it is as it often feels a bit frightening and people become anxious about knowing what to do or say around those who have dementia. It want people to become aware of the issues and to think about the practical steps that could be taken; to raise the questions that need to be answered and to overcome any fears about communicating; coping with the changes in an individual; enabling people to continue to contribute and how it is affecting those who are caring for them.
FiOP wants to draw on the excellent work that has been done to date by a number of organisations and to bring it together to form a guide which will emulate the approach taken for ECO friendly congregations using an audit tool of bronze, silver and gold levels. This approach takes into account the capacity of the individuals within the community and the members of the congregation to respond to the identified needs.
The intention is to pilot the approach to make sure that it fits what different congregations need. FiOP can evolve the approach over time and would be pleased to have the opportunity to visit different congregations or to hold seminars either individually or on an ecumenical basis and to share ideas so that people with dementia can remain within the church community enjoying the friendship, routines and rituals which have meant so much to them.
In collaboration with Methodist Homes, FiOP will be holding a conference on 23 November 2016 to discuss these elements. The keynote speaker will be Professor Elizabeth Mackinlay from Charles Sturt University, Australia, who has written extensively on the topic.
For further information or to arrange a visit please contact Maureen O’Neill, Director, Faith in Older People, email: director@fiop.org.uk
