As a chaplain in Memory Care, I wear my clerical collar every day. It helps trigger memories of my role as pastor to many of my residents. Recently I visited a woman who frequently asks staff to help her find her home. She recognized my collar, intercepted me as I walked into the house and was anxious to talk with me about her home. We walked arm in arm around the sunlit house at Emerald Crest, then went to her room.
My work as a pastor in the unique setting of memory care focuses on listening, discerning and supporting the person who remains intact, despite the personality changes of memory loss. As I listened to her, I asked her to tell me about her favorite place at home. She responded by saying she “loved being with all the people there.” Then she asked me with wide eyes, “Will you say a prayer?” I responded by praying about her concerns about home. Then to my surprise, she clasped my hands tightly and proceeded to pray for me! She gave thanks for our time together and asked God to bless me. In her prayers for me, I felt God’s grace present. Her prayers were even more precious to me, knowing that her memory loss had changed so much about her, but not the need for faith.
The disease that had changed her memory had not changed her faith in our God’s unchangeable love. What a gift to share in this with this lady.
Rev. Lette Gamble