Alzheimer's: Spirituality can be comforting

Alzheimer's steals recent memories, but religious rituals from childhood often remain intact. Use them to comfort and connect with your loved one.

For someone with Alzheimer's, spirituality, faith and religious rituals can be important for overall well-being. If you're a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer's disease, helping your loved one continue to observe his or her faith can be beneficial and rewarding for both of you.

Alzheimer's and memory: Recollection of childhood

As Alzheimer's disease progresses, recent events become jumbled and hazy. But songs and prayers from childhood often stay firmly rooted in memory long after Alzheimer's takes its toll. You can help by joining your loved one in reciting prayers, perhaps prompting him or her to sing a song — maybe a hymn — known from long ago.

Your loved one may connect more easily with an old edition of a devotional book or hymnal than with the one currently used in your church or temple. Ask your older relatives what the old standards were when they were growing up. The familiarity of verses and music, rendered much as they were in the past, may offer someone with Alzheimer's a comfort that goes beyond the words themselves.

Sharing a connection

One of the most difficult aspects of living with someone with Alzheimer's disease is that the disease robs your loved one of the ability to recognize and interact with once-familiar people. Someone with Alzheimer's may be unable to discuss current events or recent family happenings. Even a game of cards may be a difficult undertaking.

This makes it hard to spend time together because there are few activities you both can enjoy. Repeating a well-known prayer with you and with others may be one of the few sharing rituals in which your loved one with Alzheimer's can fully participate.

Religious services

Bringing someone with Alzheimer's to religious services isn't always easy because he or she may be disruptive. Some places of worship, however, have special rooms designed for parents to take noisy children. These areas could also be used for someone with Alzheimer's.

If that's not an option, an early morning service may have fewer people in attendance. You could also go to church or temple between regular services and simply pray together. It may be possible, as well, to get other families who have loved ones with Alzheimer's to gather at the same time every week to worship together.

Caring for the caregiver

It can be emotionally and spiritually draining to watch as Alzheimer's disease takes the memory and sense of self from someone you love. If you're responsible for the person's everyday care, physical fatigue may worsen the emotional toll. Many religious groups offer support to Alzheimer's caregivers that can range from a shoulder to cry on to taking over the care of the person with Alzheimer's for a few hours.

Spirituality takes many forms

Some people express their spirituality through their religion, including prayer and attending church services. Religious involvement and spirituality overlap in many ways.

But spirituality doesn't have to be connected to a specific belief or form of worship. It can be about the spirit or the soul. For many people, spirituality is simply a search for meaning, values and purpose in life. Some people satisfy their spiritual yearnings by seeking harmony with nature and the universe. Others express spirituality through music, meditation or art.

Whatever form your spirituality takes, addressing your spiritual needs and those of your loved one can be an effective strategy for managing some of the complex emotions that are part of the day-to-day care of someone with Alzheimer's disease.