What guidance is available to those, SVP members and others, who visit dementia sufferers?

Redemptorist Publications recently advertised Louise Morse’s Worshipping with Dementia: Meditations, Scriptures and Prayers for Sufferers and Carers (Monarch Books, 2010).

Written from a Protestant perspective, there presumably being no direct Catholic equivalent, Morse’s general advice is simple and helpful. Likewise, the devotions on themes such as Jesus does care and The Lord will provide are useful, but they would need to be adapted and more traditional Catholic hymns introduced.

But what would a Catholic version look like?

From my limited experience, the tactile and sacramental would be highlighted: the sprinkling of holy water; “signing” with the Sign of the Cross; crucifixes, statues and holy pictures; and, where possible, photographs from the past.

There is also a very sensitive issue requiring careful consideration, namely the reception of the Eucharist.

Perhaps the Redemptorist Fathers should be encouraged to produce a Catholic edition. As people live longer and longer, this pastoral issue will not disappear.