What is a dementia friendly church?– Welcoming hearts and opening minds.
A dementia friendly church is a place where compassion, understanding, and acceptance shines brightly. It is a haven for individuals living with dementia and their dedicated caregivers.
At our church, we embrace the following principles –
Inclusivity and Warmth– We open our doors with open hearts to people living with dementia and their caregivers , creating an environment that welcomes them with open arms.
Guidance and Safety – Our church leadership and congregation members are dedicated to guiding and ensuring the safety and comfort of those with dementia within our sacred spaces.
Embracing Forgetfulness– We understand that dementia can bring moments of confusion and forgetfulness, and in our church, it’s okay to forget. We provide support and understanding when memory falters.
Valued congregation members– Individuals living with dementia and their caregivers are cherished members of our congregation. We ensure that they remain an integral part of our church family, even if they are unable to attend services regularly.
Open dialogue– We foster an environment where the challenges of living with dementia can be openly discussed and addressed, fostering empathy and understanding.
Our Mission
Our mission at River Of Life Church is to dispel the myth associated with people’s assumptions about dementia, to actively build a dementia friendly community. Providing a helping hand to help people living with dementia, experience a sense of belonging,well-being , to reduce loneliness and to remove labels. All of which can
contribute to the development of a sustainable community.
We ensure that the individuals with dementia and their caregivers are not only welcomed but are truly embraced by our congregation, to the extent that we offer a dementia friendly service once a month
.
Monthly Dementia Friendly Service
We provide a short meaningful dementia friendly service on the fourth Sunday of each month at 2pm, which is followed by refreshments after the service and allowing time for fellowship. This will be starting from January 2024.
Lovejoy Monthly Memory Cafe
We provide a memory dementia café on the second Saturday of each month from 10am to 12 noon. Starting from November 2023. This is a free service to help support carers and those living with dementia.
The memory café is a place where you can be involved with our reminiscence sessions and fun activity sessions that we run . It’s very informal. It’s a good place to come to feel supported and gather information
on what support services and resources are available to you in the community.
For more information please call Ann-Marie on 01903-218580