Category: Dementia

A busy and productive year – Annual Review 2025

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To access the Annual Review, click on the above or on the button below.
Annual Review 2025

The Growing Old Grace-fully Annual Review 2025 gives an account of our activities in 2025.

Carol Burns, Growing Old Grace-fully Chair of Trustees gives an overview in her Chair’s Report.

There is also a first report from the Dr. Frances Norton, Pastoral Worker for Older People at Mary Mother of God Parish, Bradford, which is very exciting – and gives a good sense of the amazing work she is doing there in this role. This is a project proposed and commissioned by Growing Old Grace-fully and funded by The Ladies of the Grail. Frances has also done the first of her own reports here, which is well worth a read and shows the difference she and this project is making in the parish and area.

On page 2, there are details of Growing Old Grace-fully’s two main overall activities – dementia awareness and training (online and in-parish); and our programme of spiritual events, online and in-person, which in 2025 were centred around the theme of being Pilgrims of Hope, as part of the 2025 Jubilee Year of the Catholic Church.

As ever, we thank our funders who enable our work to happen – and who support and engage with us.

Dementia Awareness Training event in Otley

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Our Lady and All Saints parish, Otley, is hosting in-person dementia training, focused on how to support people living with dementia, on Saturday 15th November 2025 10.45am – 1.00pm.

This free workshop is aimed at parishes and parishioners in the Wharfedale Deanery, but is open to all. It will take place in the Parish Centre (Clitherow House) which is between St Joseph’s School and the Manor House (which is next to the church).

The training is to be delivered by Leeds Older People’s Forum and Growing Old Grace-fully. It will offer an opportunity of learning more about supporting people living with dementia, including information about the different types of dementia, communication with people living with dementia, and how to assist them and their carers live well. There will also be some information about supporting the spiritual needs of those living with Dementia.

It is intended to be a practical and participatory event with opportunities for sharing.

The workshop is suitable for Eucharistic Ministers, family and friends of those living with dementia, carers and anyone who would like to be more dementia aware and better understand the needs of those living with dementia.

To book a free place, please email the parish office office.ourladyallsaints@dioceseofleeds.org.uk.

Video and resources from ‘Spiritually Accompanying People with Dementia’ online session

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On Tuesday 22nd October, we held the 5th Growing Old Grace-fully online session of 2024, Spiritually Accompanying People with Dementia led by Rev. Dr. Joseph Cortis, co-author of Journeying Together: accompanying people living with dementia. Deacon Joe has a background in adult and mental health nursing which includes a long period as an educational manager, academic and senior lecturer at the University of Leeds. He is a Trustee of Growing Old Grace-fully and a Deacon of the Diocese of Leeds.

The session explored ways to provide spiritual support to individuals living with dementia as well as our own spiritual journey with them as a loved one. It includes prayers and reflections, as well as ideas as to accompany and support someone living with dementia from a spiritual perspective.

It was a very powerful session and we thank Deacon Joe for leading it.

You can watch the whole session on YouTube here.

There is a one page summary of the session, produced by Deacon Joe, that you can download here.

Further Resources

For those who would like to read it, the book, by Rev. Dr. Joe Cortis & Dr. Pia Matthews can be ordered here.

In addition, in 2019 Deacon Joe led a Dementia Awareness workshop, which can be found on the Caritas Leeds website here.

This page also links to several useful resources and links, regarding dementia.

Online event – Spiritually Accompanying People Living With Dementia

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Growing Old Grace-fully‘s 5th online event of 2024 is Spiritually Accompanying People Living With Dementia on Tuesday 22nd October, 7:00-8:00pm.  This is part of the series of online events How to be more Later Life Friendly in our parishes.

The Zoom event, looking at the theological significance of dementia, is led by Rev. Dr. Joseph Cortis, co-author of Journeying Together: accompanying people living with dementia. Deacon Joe has a background in adult and mental health nursing which includes a long period as an educational manager, academic and senior lecturer at the University of Leeds. He is a Trustee of Growing Old Grace-fully.

Whether you are a spouse, family member, friend or caregiver, this event is designed to explore ways to provide spiritual support to individuals living with dementia as well as our own spiritual journey with them as a loved one.

The session will include prayers and reflections, as well as ideas as to accompany and support someone living with dementia from a spiritual perspective.

To attend, reserve a free ticket on Eventbrite here.  

A Zoom link will be circulated to all ticket holders in advance of the event.

For those who would like to read it, the book, by Rev. Dr. Joe Cortis & Dr. Pia Matthews can be ordered here.

‘Dementia Action and Awareness’ online workshop Sat 22nd May 2pm

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Want to deepen your knowledge about Dementia?

At this event you will hear firsthand the story of someone living with dementia and the story of a carer of a person living with dementia, followed by a choice of interesting workshops.

Leeds Caritas and partners (Dementia Friendly Forum) have organised this event as part of Dementia Action Week to explore the experiences of those living with dementia, and ways in which we can support them in church and everyday life.

Growing Old Gracefully is pleased to be involved in the planning and running of this important event.

Programme:

  • Short Liturgy
  • Voice of a person living with Dementia
  • Voice of a Carer
  • Break out rooms/workshops (you can choose from one of the following):
  1. Dementia Awareness
  2. Types of Communication with people living with dementia
  3. Dementia and Faith
  4. Current Dementia Campaigns
  5. Advanced Care Planning
  • Plenary
  • Where to find out more online
  • Call to Action

TO ATTEND PLEASE EMAIL GREGORY STACEY BY 19th MAY AT gregory.stacey@dioceseofleeds.org.uk and state your first and second choices for the workshop topics above. Thank you.

Online Dementia Friends sessions now available weekly

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Recognising how hard it has been for people who are living with dementia during the COVID crisis, and the increasing need for us all to understand dementia better,  Dementia Friendly Leeds now has weekly online Dementia Friends sessions.

To book your place, click HERE and look for ‘Dementia Friends for Volunteers in Leeds‘. They are every MONDAY at 12 noon.

A Dementia Friend is simply somebody that learns about dementia so they can help their community be more dementia friendly. Dementia Friends help by raising awareness and understanding, so that people living with dementia can continue to live in the way they want. As part of the work of the Friendly Communities project we want to support volunteers and staff in Leeds to be able to offer good support for people who are living with dementia.

Maybe you had been meaning to attend a Dementia Friends session before but hadn’t got round to it, or maybe you have recently become more aware of dementia and how it affects people you know. Or perhaps you attended a session a few years ago and would like a refresher…

..Well now you can attend an informal online session right in your own home!

How to book:

  • The sessions are every Monday at 12.00 – 12:40 online (they will be adding more on different days).
  • The session will either be a webinar (sound and no video, using typing to join in) or livestream (using sound, video and some typing).
  • Go to the Dementia Friends website to register with your contact details then you can book your place.
  • Look for the sessions with the title: Dementia Friends for Volunteers in Leeds which are scheduled on Mondays at 12:00.

Short of time? Alternatively Alzheimer’s Society offers a 5 minute Dementia Friends video for people who do not have time to do the 40 minute interactive session.

Accessibility: Get in touch if you have any questions about the accessibility of the sessions,  if you need to do the session at a different time or if you have any other questions.

Contact for queries: Jude@opforum.org.uk

To book your place, click HERE and look for ‘Dementia Friends for Volunteers in Leeds‘. They are every MONDAY at 12 noon.

How to become Age and Dementia Friendly – a useful guide from Time to Shine

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Need some help to ensure your church or Parish Hall is more Age and Dementia Friendly?

Time to Shine have developed a detailed and useful guide for businesses and organisations to support and encourage you to take action to become age and dementia friendly.

Continue reading

Leeds Diocese – Dementia Friendly Carol Service, 8th December 2018

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Thank you to everyone who supported the first Dementia Friendly Service of Lessons and Carols at the Cathedral Church of St Anne this weekend.

The children from Holy Rosary and St Anne’s Catholic Primary School sang beautifully and their teachers Jo and Liz were there to lead them.  One person said “The choir were just beautiful. I could have listened to them and watched them all afternoon. Gorgeous expressions and good little singers. A credit to the school.”

Nearly everyone came next door to Wheeler Hall after the Service for mince pies and mulled wine.  Thanks to Tesco Express St Paul’s store who donated a lot of the refreshments.  It was a warm gathering with old friends reconnected and new friends made, despite wet and windy weather and the night drawing in.

“Yet, in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light; the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”  Phillips Brooks

If your parish would like to hold a Dementia Friendly Service of Lessons and Carols then here is more information and our Service Booklet.

Dementia Friendly Parishes in our Diocese

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I was made so welcome at two different parishes in Dewsbury Deanery this month.

I enjoyed my visit to the Happy Memories Group at St Paulinus Church Hall, Dewsbury last Thursday.  This group is run by volunteers and run activity groups for people with a dementia type illness and their carers. They are active, lively groups, with activities designed to stimulate and exercise both body and mind. Carers have a choice of staying for the session or having a break for the session.

The driving force behind Happy Memories is Cath Knowles, shown here with husband Ron who also is very involved in supporting the Group.

Cath told me “I run the Group and have done for 11 years. We are all volunteers and consist of 4 groups in total.  We have around 90 people on our books and we support carers and former carers.I have applied to make our group a dementia friendly group and this is a work in progress.  Although we meet at St Paulinus Parochial Hall twice a month, we are not specifically a church group and people come from all over North Kirklees to attend our groups.We also have a group that meets at St Andrews Methodist Church Hall in Mirfield twice a month, a luncheon Club Monthly and a carers friendship group monthly.”

The Group are doing much needed work to help support people living with dementia and their carers.  They are supported financially by local community groups and individuals, but get no statutory funding.

 

Last Saturday I was back in the deanery sharing a Dementia Friends session at St Paul of the Cross in Cleckheaton.  I was delighted that 25 people, including parishioners from St Mary of the Angels in Batley, came to the session and each attendee became a Dementia Friend.  Parish priest Fr Nicholas commented “Simply bringing people together is important, allowing them to know that they are not facing issues in isolation”.  It was very good to attend a quiet Mass after the session with some of the people I met. Thank you to all who came along for your warm welcome and thoughtful contributions.

 

Don’t forget that it’s Dementia Action Week  from 21st-27th May 2018, and I would love to hear what your parish or local community are doing to help people live well with dementia.

Rachel Walker, Project Co-ordinator

Memory loss and the needs of the Irish community

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Growing Old Grace-fully were so pleased to be invited to an event at Leeds Irish Centre by Leeds Irish Health & Homes, to hear the findings of some recent research into memory loss and the needs of the Irish community.

One of the findings of this research that struck home with me was the importance of being with people who understand our culture when we are living with dementia; people who speak our language either literally or figuratively speaking.  A friend told me that dementia took away her Polish-born mum’s ability to speak English, even though she was a fluent English speaker for 50 years, but her mum could still speak Polish.

You can read more about the event here http://www.lihh.org/memory-loss-and-the-irish-community-the-report-from-our-launch-event

Being with people who understand our culture is part of feeling we belong.  It’s why we need to work hard to ensure that people who have been part of the parish life do not feel excluded if they develop dementia.   Please think about whether your parish could run a short session on Becoming a Dementia-Friendly Parish which Growing Old Grace-fully would be delighted to run.

Rachel Walker