Dementia Friendly Church Services
Summary
Dementia Friendly Church Services have been running on the Isle of Wight since 2014. Initially Age Friendly Island worked together with St. John the Baptist Church in Ryde to look at the best way to make church services more accessible to people living with dementia and to support the needs of older people.
Dementia Friendly Church Services are specifically designed with the needs of people living with dementia in mind. They are welcoming, shorter and informal with large print booklets and traditional prayers and hymns for everyone to enjoy.
Services are currently held three times a year (Christmas, Easter and Harvest) at four churches across the Isle of Wight. Some churches have partnered with local schools who provide choirs and further intergenerational support. Refreshments are served afterwards to encourage individuals to stay, chat and find out information from other services if appropriate. They are open to all including those with dementia, their family, friends and carers. Age Friendly Island also invites local supported living residents and helps to arrange transport to services so they are accessible.
A guide to running Dementia Friendly Church Services has been created and Age Friendly Island is in the process of ensuring the participating churches will be able to sustain the running of these services into the future.
Website: http://agefriendlyisland.org/
Key facts
Main target group: Older people with chronic health conditions or disability
Sector(s): Information and communication, Other
Desired outcome for older people:
Meet their basic needs
- Dementia
- Intergenerational activities
- Inclusion
- Participation