The rising incidence of dementia in our ageing population is one of the biggest challenges to our Health and Social Care system, as the recent campaign of the Alzheimers Society has made us aware. There is a developing awareness of the spiritual and pastoral needs of people with dementia and their carers. As we focus on person-centered approaches to the care and support of people with dementia and recognise their dignity and rights, we need to ensure that their spiritual needs as well as the practice of their faith are both acknowledged and met.
The CSAN Dementia and Spirituality Project seeks to draw on and build on good practice from faith communities with a particular focus on the Catholic Church in developing awareness of the spiritaul and pastoral needs of people with dementia and their carers. It aims to ensure that parishes are communities of understanding and welcome from sufferers of dementia and thier families. It aims to develop training and awareness materials for use of a wide range of people involved in meeting the faith needs of people with dementia including:
-
People with dementia
-
Informal carers
-
Staff in residential and nursing care settings
-
Religious Orders and Catholic Voluntary Sector Organisations
-
Clergy and Paris Communities, Hospital Chaplains
-
Diocesan and Deanery Advisors
-
Eucharistic Ministers
Further information
If you would like to contribute to the project please contact Ben Bano, Director of Telos Training Ltd. which specialises in delivering training in Spirituality and Mental Health. Ben can be contacted through the CSAN office on 020 7901 4875 or by email: benbano@aol.com
In addition, if you like to know more about dementia and spirituality please download the latest CSAN dementia newsletter.
