In the Diocese of Lexington, Godly Play traditionally has been used for young children in Christian formation. Now, Deacon Lois Howard is adapting Godly Play for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Lois describes the purpose in Key Resources from the Center for Ministry of Teaching at Virginia Seminary:
To be a loving, accepting presence to often-forgotten people.
To provide a worshipful experience of Bible stories and music.
To ask questions that may encourage the participants to remember incidents and people from their earlier years.
To encourage some kind of response to the story—though it won’t necessarily be a verbal response.
To possibly bring back people’s memories and feelings, no matter how short their memory, by using words they can connect with.
For more on Godly play and Alzheimer’s recovery, read the two-part article from Key Resources at VTS.