Why Practising Religion Is Good For Those Living With Dementia

One of the most important services provided by a residential care home is providing a safe space where people with dementia feel understood, loved, and cared for. People with dementia may deal with many silent battles beyond memory loss. This includes feelings of unrest, irritability, frustration, loneliness, and more. A recent religious service at Rosebank highlighted a great way to redirect some of these feelings.

Religion can play an important role in a person’s journey with dementia. Attending a religious service can be relaxing and can take the person’s mind off the things that usually bother them.

Here are a few ways how practising religion is beneficial for those with dementia:

IT IS A RELAXING ACTIVITY:

Attending a religious service, listening to kind words and prayers can help someone with dementia relax. They may feel at ease during these services which may help with agitated behaviour which is common in people with dementia. Religious services can be held at care homes regularly as a source of relaxation.

IT CREATES A ROUTINE:

Organising regular religious services can help create a nice routine for residents with dementia. They may start looking forward to it and this may encourage routine habits such as waking up at a certain time, getting dressed, and more. This can be especially calming and reassuring for someone with dementia.

IT PROVIDES A SENSE OF BELONGING:

Attending these religious services can instil a strong sense of belonging in residents with dementia. Speaking to like-minded people and sharing something sacred with them can create a social circle. The residents may be more willing to attend these services as a chance to get together with their friends.

IT HELPS BRING BACK OLD MEMORIES:

Familiar sounds and situations can trigger memories from the past for people with dementia. They may remember going to the church or temple with their families in the past. They may feel comforted upon remembering things from their past. This is quite a positive experience for someone living with dementia who may often forget the lives they have lived.

IT IS A SOURCE OF PEACE AND POSITIVITY:

Religious services can provide relaxation, rhythm, and familiarity to a person with dementia. This can help them feel safe. As they gradually get used to these feelings, they may associate feelings of peace and positivity with these religious services and be more than happy to attend them.

The residents of Rosebank were delighted by the company of the wonderful Miles who spent some valuable one on one time with them. It was lovely seeing so many happy faces around that day. After the session with Miles, the residents spent their day arranging some beautiful flowers and crafting a ‘positivity banner’ to help us, at Rosebank, see the bright side of things as longer nights approach us.