January 21, 2002
Church-based Alzheimer's ministry brings hope & help
___By George Henson
___Staff Writer
___PASADENA--While their memories of childhood may be clearer than memories from this morning, Alzheimer's disease sufferers in Pasadena have not been forgotten.
___South Main Baptist Church in Pasadena offers a team of volunteers who minister to Alzheimer's victims. Previously, the ministry involved home visitation, but last fall it expanded with creation of the Gathering Place.
___The third Tuesday of each month, dementia sufferers and their caretakers come to the church for this special event. Those who have the responsibility of caring for a loved one are given time to relax. And those suffering with Alzheimer's can be loved and cared for by someone else for a few hours.
___The morning usually begins in a circle, where introductions are made and sometimes
___"Many were instantly called back to times long ago when they smelled fresh-baked bread in their homes," Minister of Pastoral Care Bill Bryan said.
___Sometimes there will be a story read or told. One man not only told his story about milking a cow, but also brought a latex glove filled with warm liquid. As he took it to each person, they demonstrated their milking techniques, summoning up memories.
___Participants also eat lunch, engage in specially designed physical activity, and "somehow we always wind up playing bingo," Bryan said.
___The ministry is not unique to South Main Baptist Church but is employed at several churches throughout the Houston area. It is part of the ministry plan of Interfaith Care Partners, an interdenominational organization that seeks to impact all segments of the community.
___"We saw other churches in the Houston area doing this and saw how effective their ministry was and felt we had needs in our community that could be met," Bryan explained.
___Most of the time, about seven Alzheimer's sufferers, two of whom are members of the church, attend the South Main meetings.
___"This is not a church-centered ministry, but an outreach-oriented ministry," Bryan said.
___All the volunteers are members of South Main, however. The church's Alzheimer's Care Team grew when the Gathering Place began. Some people who were not comfortable visiting in homes were much more comfortable with the format of the monthly meeting.
___The fact that other churches are doing similar things is a plus rather than a minus, Bryan said, because it gives the caretakers more opportunities to relax from their responsibilities.
___Many of the team members have a history of Alzheimer's in their families, as does team leader Pam Hodson, whose grandfather suffered with the disease. The ministry is not only for those who have Alzheimer's, she noted, but for their caretakers.
___"We are an outlet for the people with Alzheimer's. We don't look at them as different or strange. A lot of the people on the care team have been through what I've been through with my grandfather," she said. "Also, the people we help know we chose to be there. No one paid us. No one elected us. We're there because we love them.
___"We also help those people who are the caretakers for their loved ones," she said. "They know they can tell us anything. We can be that outlet for them to cry for awhile if they need to. We're just there for them. Some people don't want to admit their loved one has Alzheimer's, but with us they can.
___"We can tell them, 'Your loved one is not strange because he asks the same question over and over again,'" she said. "'He is not strange because he just walks around all the time.'"
___The blessings flow both ways, however, Hodson said. "I am blessed to get to know each of these people as a personal friend. Not only those who come to the Gathering Place, but also the other members of the care team. We have become so close; we're like a family."
___Working in the ministry also has stretched her faith, Hodson said. God has made her a bolder witness as she has seen God's continued faithfulness.
___"I took the first step, and God put the pavement in front of me and said walk and that is what I am trying to do," she said.
___One of the most wonderful things about the Gathering Place is that it could be duplicated by any church, Hodson said.
___"It's a ministry that doesn't take a lot of money, so it can be done even by small churches in small communities. It can be done anywhere."
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