Photo Credit: Sister Margaret Patricia Lennon and Sister Anthony Selewicz offer support to a frail resident at Little Sisters of the Poor Jeanne Jugan Residence in San Pedro, Calif., in this 2016 photo. The Little Sisters of the Poor care for the elderly poor in assisted living facilities throughout the U.S. and frequently accompany the dying.
CNS photo courtesy of the Little Sisters of the Poor.
Cognitive Impairment and Supportive Initiative
“Changing minds and transforming lives”
Our Cognitive Impairment Support Initiative (CISI) program focuses on sisters living with dementia or other cognitive impairments in religious communities or other facilities.
This initiative was initially formed in 2021 by the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) and Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation (the Hilton Foundation). An advisory committee with experts and practitioners in the field of aged care, especially those with experience of accompanying sisters living with some type of cognitive impairment, and sisters in leadership positions have created CISI. The initiative is now housed under the Anna Trust.
As communities age, a large percentage will eventually develop some form of dementia.
It is more important than ever to ensure that each sister is able to live her spirituality despite any impairment.
The initiative aims to make a difference not only for sisters with dementia, but also for the entire community by helping to build dementia-inclusive religious institutes:
- This is critical to improving the quality of life for sisters with dementia, optimizing opportunities for participation, and remaining part of their congregation, for example, by engaging sisters with dementia in daily activities and spiritual exercises in ways that support and nourish them.
- It is also about making sure that lay care partners understand the culture of religious life generally.
- Another important aspect is to ensure that Congregational Leaders, sisters and staff have a comprehensive and updated knowledge of dementia with its subsequent principles of supportive care. Therefore, there needs to be an ongoing education program about dementia and dementia risk prevention, especially since the early stages of dementia are often overlooked because the onset is gradual.
“Changing minds and transforming lives” means reframing our minds and hearts so that congregations develop new ways of walking with their sisters who are living with dementia, personally and communally.
To learn more about our cognitive impairment support initiative, or to contribute information to this information, please complete the below enquiry form.
