When Mind and Memory Flee …: Hymns and ministry to people with dementia

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Published: Aug 4, 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15664/tis.v27i1.2099
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, ministry, ageing, elderly, memory, hymns, hymnody, singing, Anthony Storr, Marjorie Dobson, Mary Louise Bringle, Andrew Pratt, Fred Pratt Green, Edith Downing

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Graham D. S. Deans
Formerly Minister at Aberdeen: Queen Street

Abstract

Drawing on his experience as a part-time hospital Chaplain, Graham Deans reflects on how in worship services for geriatric patients, the singing of familiar hymns very often had the effect of restoring lucidity and comprehension to the minds of dementia sufferers affected by memory loss and confusion. His paper considers therapeutic value of hymn singing and looks in some detail at particular examples of hymns focussed on ageing and dementia.

Article Details

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Vol. 27 No. 1 (2020)
Section
Articles
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2020 Graham D. S. Deans
Author Biography

Graham D. S. Deans, Formerly Minister at Aberdeen: Queen Street

Drawing on his experience as a part-time hospital Chaplain, Graham Deans reflects on how in worship services for geriatric patients, the singing of familiar hymns very often had the effect of restoring lucidity and comprehension to the minds of dementia sufferers affected by memory loss and confusion. His paper considers therapeutic value of hymn singing and looks in some detail at particular examples of hymns focussed on ageing and dementia.