Memory Care

Remembering Jesus in Memory Care – Part One

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And He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them say, “This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 23:19 ESV

While we sing, she keeps her eyes closed, though a tiny bit of a smile forms on her lips. The lady to her right is soundly asleep, with her head slumped forward, but the man on her right sings softly along, “Jesus Loves Me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so…”

 About halfway through the dozen songs that we sing that day, in the memory care unit, she looks up and begins joining in. Then, after I close in prayer, she is delighted when I offer her my hand saying, “Good morning, Kate! God bless you! I’ll be back next week, Lord willing and….,” then I pause to let her fill in the words: Kate smiles and chimes in, “And the crick don’t rise!”

The greatest loss in memory care wards, is more than the memory of the residents. The deepest issue is that most of them are forgotten by everyone else. But Jesus remembers them, and He calls some of us to follow HIm into memory care ministry, I know there are difficult days, and times when it looks pointless. Maybe you might ask God if there isn’t some easier job that He could send you to do. What about the hungry children in Africa, the local crisis pregnancy center, or medical missions to South America? While each of those ministries matters to God, He has chosen to place you and I in a place where less volunteers go than to some of the poorest mission fields on earth. Jesus’ plan is for us to reach out in His name, and it all begins just as His ministry did when He called His disciples by name and today He asks us to remember the names of each person that He sends us to!

Making New Connections

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Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 1 Corinthians 12:20-21

One of the greatest challenges that many people face today is isolation. We as a society find ourselves separated by age, wealth, education and race. Sadly, this kind of segmentation is common even in the church. Our church announcements end up sounding something like this,

“The eyebrows will be meeting in room 112b on Wednesday nights, the feet are having a luncheon at noon on Saturday, and a short-term mission trip for the toes and fingers will be leaving next Sunday afternoon.”

This sort of dissection of the body of Christ seems completely natural to us because that is what we have experienced everywhere else all our lives. And though some of these specialized get-togethers are sometimes helpful, the dangers of isolation and segmentation are nowhere more pronounced than among the elderly who often find themselves in long-term care. And even in long-term care facilities the specialization that drives further isolation has been accelerating over the last ten or fifteen years. For example, those with memory issues are locked in their own ward, others no longer able to walk are placed in a separate wing, and the list goes on. Worst of all is that these people are not only isolated, but they are also usually soon forgotten by family, friends and neighbors, and even by the church. The parts of the body of Christ that God had designed to be connected to them don’t miss them because they are busy meeting with the other toes and fingers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Today God is calling the church to do more than hold worship conferences, youth rallies and women’s conventions. God’s heart is to go out into the highways and byways, which includes the long-term care facilities in our community. For those who sense God’s calling, I am making a short book called, “New Frontiers in Nursing Home Ministry,” available for free in its Kindle format all this week.

A Caregiver’s Story

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I was so blessed by my fellow blogger, Hope’s post over on Patiently Hopeful that I had to share this with my readers. I really enjoyed her insight that being a caregiver is not only for those in long-term care. Being a mother (or father) is caregiving. Being a pastor, a teacher or a coach, we are each entrusted with the job of caring for someone. But there are also times in life when that caregiving role demands far more and presses us to our limits. That is when the lessons learned, as Hope tells us, will be most needed. Have a blessed day everyone!

What caregiving is teaching me…