Here with Us: A Parish Guide to Serving People with Dementia

Some of the most forgotten members of society are those who struggle to remember, speak and understand. And yet people with dementia and their caregivers make up a substantial segment of many parishes. How are parish communities called, as Christ’s disciples, to help them? Michael Swan looks past cultural assumptions and provides the latest information about these life-limiting illnesses known as dementia to help parishes respond with effective programs and care.

This compassion-filled, practical book offers you and your parish lots of useful information and support: · an overview of what science tells us about dementia · simple, hands-on ideas and strategies for acknowledging and welcoming people who live with dementia · an understanding of the key role volunteers play in caring for people with dementia · how to get your building dementia-ready · various ways your parish can reach out to the wider community for support The Mass and the sacraments are gifts to be shared, Swan says. “Whenever the parishioner with dementia is included, then that gift is truly given and received by all. This is how your parish can be really present to those who feel the absence of the world they once knew.”