Spirit Alive

Spirit Alive is a specialized Pastoral Care program designed for individuals in the mid-to-late stages of dementia.

It helps address the spiritual needs of residents with cognitive impairment. Spirit Alive incorporates best practices in dementia care, Godly Play methods, and Montessori concepts to create an interactive faith-based experience.

The Spirit Alive program has expanded across all of Phoebe’s campuses. Residents enrolled in the program are divided into groups of seven to ten, based on their level of cognitive function, so that the program can be tailored to their ability. Weekly services, run by chaplains and volunteers at Phoebe, incorporate multi-sensory experiences with music, props, prayer, and life reminiscence to convey familiar faith stories. Hymns are sung, residents read scripture passages, and each participant can talk about a time in their life when they experienced the worship theme being explored. It is a channel for recalling the past and creating feelings of comfort, familiarity, spiritual fulfillment, and connection.

The goal of Spirit Alive is to reach individuals with dementia on a spiritual level and, by doing so, provide a sense of emotional well-being and the reassurance that they are loved, valued, and cared for—by God and the community around them.

We are seeking volunteers who enjoy sharing stories of faith and interacting with older adults living with dementia to lead small group sessions at skilled care centers in Allentown, Wernersville, Richlandtown, and Wyncote.

Rev. Jameson Baxter
[email protected]
610-794-5037