Dementia-friendly Worship Tools

Worship

● Use familiar songs. Consider singing only the first verse, repeated several times.

● Large-print song sheets help.

● Choose familiar prayers, especially the Lord’s Prayer.

● Use familiar scriptures, especially the 23rd Psalm.

● Consider having everyone remain seated throughout the service.

● Design shorter sermons with illustrations and stories to make them easier to follow.

● Try acting out the story - involve children in the skits if possible.

● Engage all the senses and incorporate simple movements.

● Use props to help tell the story.

● Plan shorter worship services, maybe broken up into two parts with no stigma for leaving after
the first half. A trained volunteer/friend might be available to walk with the restless individual
during the second part of the service, which would include the sermon and other parts that are
harder to follow.

Note: Ask family and caregivers for clues to what will help the most

Support and environment

● Provide one or more rocking chairs, preferably glider rockers.

● Provide seating in a less distractible part of the sanctuary.

● Provide a calming sensory space in the narthex or corner of the sanctuary.

● Utilize space in the narthex for walking around during the service.

● Have a worship buddy available who can sit next to the individual.

● Offer hand-holding.

Objects

Everything should be adult-oriented, and faith-based to the extent possible.

Select objects that are safe from choking hazards, washable, or that can be spray-cleaned or wiped
down to sanitize. Here are some ideas:

● Prayer beads.

● Simple lap altar with battery operated candle, cross, and Bible.

● A scrapbook or adult picture book with familiar Bible verses and pictures.

● Weighted lap blanket, preferably with a soft or fuzzy cover that can be removed for washing.

● Prayer shawl.

● Adult coloring sheet illustrating the scripture passage. Use a clipboard with a storage
compartment for colored pencils.

● Fidget muffs, aprons, or soft fidget books

● Faith-based fidget lap pads, lightly weighted (see Etsy for examples.)

● Search bag with rice or birdseed and hidden objects inside.

● A fabric lap labyrinth with a marble sewn inside to slide around.

Resources

Dementia-friendly worship – Finding spiritual peace in dementia (NCPD)

Dementia-Friendly Worship: Multifaith Chaplains and Communities – Amazon

The Dementia-Friendly Church – UMC Discipleship

Prayer Beads for United Methodists – UMC.org

Deaconess Lynn Swedberg, Updated August 2024