Can prayer calm dementia patients in their final stages? Some studies and practices suggest it can help bring peace and reduce agitation in these patients, especially through spiritual care tailored to their needs.
People with dementia in the late stages often feel restless, anxious, or confused. Simple activities like prayer might ease these feelings by tapping into familiar routines and beliefs from their past. For instance, chaplains who provide spiritual care have seen positive effects. One study looked at how chaplains support those with dementia. It found that individually voiced activities, or IVA, which can include prayer or singing hymns, help patients express deep emotions they struggle to put into words. This restores a sense of who they are and builds trust with caregivers. Read more in this qualitative study on chaplains’ spiritual care[3].
Prayer works because it is personal and comforting. In final stages, patients may not speak much, but hearing prayers they once knew can soothe them. Caregivers notice calmer breathing, fewer outbursts, and moments of stillness. Related research on mindfulness, which shares traits with prayer like focused breathing and quiet reflection, shows benefits for brain health in dementia. A clinical trial found that just one week of daily mindfulness with slow breathing lowered levels of amyloid beta, a protein linked to Alzheimer’s damage. While not exactly prayer, this points to how calm, repetitive practices calm the mind and body. Details are in this randomized trial on mindfulness[2].
Experts recommend gentle approaches. Sit close, hold a hand, and use soft voices for prayers from the patient’s faith. Avoid anything new or loud. Family members or trained volunteers often lead these sessions in nursing homes. Over time, patients seem less fearful and more at ease during their last days.
Sources
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1720571/full
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12683982/
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/07334648251408543
