Meditation and reflection on scripture have been powerful tools for me as a chaplain working with groups of people in various healthcare and residential facilities and hospitals. 

In order to measure progress within the group, I developed an assessment tool that measured ten factors of participation, relationship building, and spirituality on a scale of one to ten for each factor.  

The research and writings on the aging by Richard P. Johnson, Ph.D., especially in the book 12 Keys to Spiritual Vitality were most helpful in developing an assessment tool and providing material for the groups.  An initial assessment of the group showed an overall score of 49 on a scale of 100 and, ultimately, a final score of 74, a 25 point, or 50% relative improvement overall in the factors measured.  

For example, four of the group members moved from isolation to meaningful relationships, five of the group dealt openly with long-term faith and spirituality issues, two of the members dealt with deep-seated grief issues and several took on a ministerial role toward others from their own experience relating to the issues being dealt with. 

Two members of the group died during this period and the group was able to deal with the grief and loss in a positive, even celebratory way.  Most interesting, however, were the individual stories that were shared by the participants and the ongoing relationships that the sharing fostered.  

The format of this group and other groups that I have formed has used meditation, silent prayer, reflection and sharing of scripture, and prayers of thanksgiving and petition.  

It is interesting to note and worthy of more research that common prayers and music, such as the “The Lord’s Prayer” and “Amazing Grace,” can often be said or sung in entirety by those persons that are otherwise non-responsive, aphasic, or with dementia.

There are many paths to spiritual growth through various forms of prayer and community.  Similarly, there are multiple paths to a deeper spirituality through meditation.  

Meditation and reflection on scripture (e.g., Lectio Divina) is one of the earliest forms of meditation practiced in the early church and has had a resurgence in recent years through the movement named “Centering Prayer.”  This meditation can be practiced individually or in a group.  

For example, I have used a modified form of Lectio Divina in scripture prayer groups in a nursing home, the rehabilitation unit of a hospital, and more recently, in Behavioral Medicine units of several hospitals where I practice as a chaplain. The results have been remarkable as residents and patients are able to release their emotions and share their spiritual journeys with other patients.  

Initially, I decided to form a group to satisfy a research requirement for the clinical pastoral care (CPE) training that I was undergoing at a high quality, continuous care nursing home complex.  

I began with two groups, one in the assisted living facility (essentially apartment living with on-site nursing care available) and the other in a mid-level care facility where most residents were not ambulatory and required around the clock nursing care.  

In the second group, there were fifteen people with multiple health issues that will be focused on here.  The group met weekly for twenty-one weeks.  Four persons had dementia (two of these with diagnosed Alzheimer disease), five were stroke victims, four with clinical depression, six with osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, one with cancer, one with psychosis/anxiety, seven with hypertension, five with heart disease and one with neuropathy.

The need for such a group was based on my observations that residents often felt abandoned or dislocated from home, family, and friends and were isolated even though spending most of the day in common areas.  They frequently were unable to communicate or unwilling to communicate.  

A complaint often expressed by the residents was that they were being treated like children.  For example, when a resident was sick enough to be removed from their room to the hospital or died, the other residents, even the roommate, were often not told what happened.  

So, instead of receiving affirmation of their importance and relevance as human beings and given the opportunity to grieve, the remaining residents were left to look at an empty bed or room and wonder.  Although there were planned activities, the community support structure was limited and many of the residents were “stuck” emotionally and/or spiritually.