YouCC & ME
April 2009
Alzheimer's Families
Last Sunday, I was approached by a church member whose wife had been diagnosed
with early stages Alzheimer’s disease several years ago. His concern was
that persons with Alzheimer’s disease, and particularly the caregivers
who struggle to keep their loved ones at home, are too often forgotten by the
churches.
It is almost impossible to fathom the stress that having an Alzheimer’s
patient in your home can bring to a church member, especially one who has been
active in his/her local church. But realizing how isolated staying at home,
caring for another person can be, should remind us of our responsibilities to
those around us. While keeping those people in our prayers is essential, there
are so many other things we can do as individuals and as a church to support
both the Alzheimer’s patient and the caregiver.
1. Offer a period of respite, by spending time with the Alzheimer’s patient
and relieving the caregiver of that responsibility for a morning, afternoon
or evening.
2. Make periodic visits to the home, simply to provide a social interaction
with the Alzheimer’s patient and caregiver that they often miss on a day-to-day
basis.
3. Attend or sponsor classes about Alzheimer’s disease and its affect
on caregivers and others around the patient to educate church members, and your
community.
4. Volunteer at social service agencies, hospitals, or other organizations that
provide services to Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers in your local
area.
5. Financially support national, state, and/or local service agencies for Alzheimer’s
patients and caregivers.
This is but a small list of possible activities in which you and your church
can become involved. Perhaps you are already doing others. I encourage you to
share your experiences with us, so that we all may learn.
Submitted by Walter (Ted) Ruark, Old South Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Hallowell, Maine
Time to Prepare the Garden
We have just come through a long winter, (emphasis on through) and have come out the other side. Spring is with us, from snow drops and crocuses to those bulbs long dormant now coming to bloom. In many ways the same is true for us as the church. We faced a crisis in the fall – high fuel prices preceded a steep economic downturn, and as careful stewards of the gifts we have been given, we circled the wagons, turned down the heat, and adjusted our budgets to live within our means. There was a lot of logic there, but as people of faith we are also known to defy logic and look for the unexpected. And we broke through our circles.
You see, there is something elemental in who we are as people of faith that calls us to break through that circle of wagons, and that is our desire and commitment to love our neighbors. It is elemental to who we are…and it has involved all of us. We have discovered our gifts and found ways to share them. Fundraising has taken place in a myriad of ways, sales, fairs, auctions, dinners. You name it…and we made it through the winter and helped others do the same. Some churches have worshipped together, some retreated together, some have provided meals to local soup kitchens, and clothing and sleeping bags to those in need. In all this, I would dare to say, we have only just begun.
In the United Church of Christ there is amazing potential for laity not only to be the church, but to lead the church and get us up and moving in ways that matter. God’s creation awaits – now we need to tend it. Let us each in our own way prepare the soil and plant seeds of hope and promise. Amen
Susie Craig