New Ideas in Memory Care

 

In that I have served as a volunteer chaplain in long term care for many years I read with interest anything new that may be a help to the residents. I had read about this concept initially labeled as an Alzheimer’s village in Holland a couple of years ago. This facility in the UK has offered shown it in a different way. It is encouraging to see that offering a real connection to those dealing with memory loss can build a bridge that on good days they will still find a way to cross. May God bless all of you who are care givers whether as a professional or a family member. He alone holds all of us in His hands!

Playing Their Song – Part 1

If we hope for others to sing along we need to know their songs!

pastorpete51's avatarWalking With Lambs

“One year we went on a cruise for our anniversary. After dinner one night we went down to listen to the band that was playing in the room below the dining room. In that moment as they started playing our special song, a feeling of completeness and peace just settled over us enough that I dared to dance for the first time in what felt like a thousand years.

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In the same way, music is an essential part of any nursing home ministry because just the right song at just the right time can make a connection to people’s hearts. This chapter will help you to see how you can do that through worship as a part of your outreach. If you have just started visiting a new facility it may have been a long time since the there have heard their favorite hymns. They may have even forgotten the…

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New Book on Care Ministry

“I gained a whole new appreciation for what new beginnings meant when my wife and I chose to retire last year. Our lives had radically changed direction the year before when Nancy had survived major cancer surgery; which was followed by six chemotherapy treatments over nine months. Then as summer rolled around while she was getting her strength back, things seemed to come into place for us to move to Florida.

At first we eagerly raced ahead towards what seemed an exciting though uncertain future. Driving away from chilly, rainy Pennsylvania, we both felt like shouting, “Wahoo we’re going to Florida! No more ice! No more snow!

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No more dark colorless months of barren and cold landscapes!!” But somewhere in the middle of making new friends, finding new doctors and settling into a new church we realized that the challenge of beginning again was much bigger than we thought it would be.

For me, one vital part of starting over for me was to begin to volunteer in a nursing home ministry…” (From New Beginnings in Care Ministry)

New Beginings

It’s been quite a while since I released anything new on Nursing Home Ministry. The book “New Beginnings in Care Ministry” is a reflection of my coming to see a wider view of Long Term Care ministry in my own ministry restart. Care ministry looks beyond simply the traditional nursing home setting into the lives and needs of special needs children, residents in special needs assisted living as well as those in memory care. If your life has been touched by long term care, through a family member, your job or as a volunteer this collection of stories and insights with lots of photos are just for you. It is my prayer they will both be a practical as well as a spiritual be a blessing in your own personal journey. This is available in both softcover and E-book formats through Amazon.

New Beginnings in Care Ministry