YOUNGSTOWN Lunch-box lesson offers faith to memory-loss patients

The new program will encourage faith leaders to reach out to those in need.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- A pilot program is aimed at stimulating the faith of patients with mild to moderate memory loss.
The program will be presented at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at Park Vista of Youngstown.
The program is open to faith leaders who may want to try the project at their house of worship, said Joan West, Park Vista's director of public relations.
Many faiths have made their buildings accessible to the handicapped or added equipment to help those with visual or hearing problems.
But West said faiths have a common problem as some members begin to lose their memory.
"They drop out of church and lose their spiritual involvement," West said.
Park Vista is trying a program that has worked in other areas of Northeastern Ohio: Lessons in a Lunchbox.
The trademark name refers to the materials packed in an old-fashioned metal lunch box. West noted that older people who may have memory problems might have taken such a lunchbox to work.
What's inside to stimulate the spirituality of the patients for the Lazarus lesson? West said that won't be known until the program.
Tradition-based program
The presenter will be Rose Minner, who works for Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services, which manages 11 retirement communities. She is one of the developers of the nondenominational program that includes Christian and Jewish traditions.
West said there are 12 Biblical stories in the series, each dealing with the relationships between individuals and God. One focuses on the book of Esther, which recounts how the queen saved her fellow Jews, who celebrated later with gifts of food.
In the lunch box were photographs of Miss America-style beauty queens, cookies and a rattle to be shaken at Haman, the villain of the book of Esther. Items such as the rattle provide stimulation, said West.
Working with patients with Alzheimer's or other memory impairments involves bringing them into the present because their recent memories aren't there, said West. The items in the lunch box become tools to stimulate and increase communication with the person.
West said many of our deepest emotions come from religion and spirituality. She recalled seeing a woman with an impaired memory, who, after singing part of a hymn in the program, was able to complete the rest from memory. The woman could then remember or talk about the hymn, or just experience the moment.
"It's a springboard for caregiving ... It's a new method of communication" said West.
XTo register for the event, call (330) 746-2944 ext. 1550.
wilkinson@vindy.com.