When Words Fail
Let us help you communicate.
More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease today. This number is expected to triple in the next 30 years, with many more friends and neighbors experiencing additional forms of dementia. For faith communities and people of faith, this represents a crucial opportunity for ministry and practical care.
Dementia sufferers often become isolated as their memories fade and the ability to communicate weakens. Despite good intentions, when words fail for people with dementia, they also often fail for those around them.
WHEN WORDS FAIL: Practical Ministry to People with Dementia and Their Caregivers will equip those in ministry and also caregivers on how to reach out to family and friends living with dementia and offer person-centered spiritual care.
“When a family member or friend has dementia, it can be difficult to know how to handle communication,” says The Reverend Kathy F. Berry. “Friends and family may shy away or say nothing for fear of saying the wrong thing. I wrote this book to help ministers and caregivers overcome these concerns and reach out. The title, WHEN WORDS FAIL, refers not only to the dementia sufferers, but to their loved ones, as well.”
Rev. Berry is uniquely qualified to write on this subject since she is Westminster Canterbury Richmond’s Memory Support Chaplain. Her love of older adults began in childhood with a close relationship with her grandparents. They taught by example how to meet life’s challenges with grace and love.
“They were such a significant part of my life,” says Rev. Berry. “My family spent a lot of time with them, so being around older adults has always been natural to me. I grew as a person from observing my grandparents’ life path. Their spirituality coupled with a practical approach to daily adversities helped shape my faith, and ultimately my ministry.”
Ministering to the mind, body and soul, this book has practical examples and tools designed to meet the emotional and physical needs, and devotes particular attention to ways of communicating even after words have failed. To purchase your copy, visit www.whenwordsfail.com or contact Rev. Kathy Berry at kberry@wcrichmond.org or by calling 804-264-5398.
Our next When Words Fail seminar will be held on March 30, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Registration cost is $50 and includes lunch, When Words Fail book and DVD. The registration deadline is March 23. To register, please contact Vanessa Perry, Pastoral Care Administrator at vperry@wcrichmond.org or by calling 804-200-1502.