Aging With Dignity
Ministries serving seniors and supporting families facing Alzheimer’s, dementia, and the burdens of caregiving.
At MinistryWatch, our mission is to help Christians become more faithful, generous, and effective stewards of the resources God has entrusted to them. It’s why we advocate for transparency, accountability, and efficiency in Christian ministries. Because of that, we cover a lot of stories we’d rather not have to—stories of waste, fraud, and abuse.
But that’s not the whole picture. This column exists to amplify ministries doing excellent work—to spotlight ministries making a difference in their own communities and around the world.
In recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15 and Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, this week’s roundup features ministries helping older adults age with dignity while supporting families facing dementia, caregiving pressures, and the vulnerabilities that often accompany aging.
Photo, savannahrespite.com
Hope Haven
Hope Haven Savannah Respite serves two needs at once: it offers caregivers a few hours of relief and gives people living with dementia a place to be engaged, welcomed, and known. Based at St. John’s Church in Savannah, Georgia, the ministry provides four hours of respite while participants (whom Hope Haven calls “members,” reflecting the feel of a social club) take part in games, music, art, exercise, meals, and service projects alongside trained volunteers. On June 9, Hope Haven members will step into the colorful world of classic comics. See You in the Funny Pages invites members to revisit the delight of Sunday comic strips and create their own comical crafts.
Hope Haven also hosts a monthly support group for caregivers of loved ones living with dementia or other cognitive challenges, offering a place to connect, share experiences, and receive emotional support. Caregivers are welcome to show up.
Photo, resthavenhomes.org
Rest Haven Homes
Rest Haven Homes serves more than 100 Christian seniors on a six-acre campus in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Its care ranges from independent living to support for advanced physical, medical, and cognitive needs. Founded in 1941 in a single-family home, Rest Haven has grown into a broader senior-care ministry while preserving its original mission: to care for older adults with love, respect, and spiritual purpose. Rest Haven has a 3-Star Financial Efficiency Rating and a C Transparency Grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a Donor Confidence Score of 95 (Give with Confidence).
Photo, palmvillage.com
Palm Village Retirement Community
In California, Palm Village is a mission-driven continuing-care retirement community where seniors can age in place across five levels of care: independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, rehabilitation, and dementia/Alzheimer’s care. Licensed as a California Continuing Care Retirement Community, Palm Village emphasizes that residents may “never have to change [their] address again” as their care needs change. The Wiebe Center serves residents with advanced dementia and Alzheimer’s in a small 15-bed setting with a low-stimulation environment, fenced courtyard, circular walking path, chapel services, life-skills tasks, music therapy, and sensory activities. As a nonprofit, Palm Village says it reinvests in care and helps support seniors who have outlived their resources. The ministry has a 4-Star Financial Efficiency Rating and a C Transparency Grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a Donor Confidence Score of 95 (Give with Confidence).
Photo, tcmanor.com
Town & Country
In Glendale, California, Jennie Suppes felt called to build a furlough home for missionaries, but lacked the resources to do it. Then workers unexpectedly discovered oil on her property. The well produced exactly the amount she had prayed for before running dry, providing the funds to build the Glendale Missionary Colony. By 1970, the property had grown to include a 45-bed skilled nursing facility, but it could no longer expand. An 8.5-acre site was then purchased for what would become Town & Country Manor a faith-based, nonprofit senior living community dedicated to demonstrating the care, love, and hope of Jesus Christ to older adults.
Over the next 25 years, Town & Country expanded its offerings, upgraded its programming, and elevated its skilled nursing and rehabilitation care to help its independent and assisted living residents live well and be well cared for. Town & Country has a 3-Star Financial Efficiency Rating and a C Transparency Grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a Donor Confidence Score of 95 (Give with Confidence).
Photo, christianaidministries.org
Christian Aid Ministries (CAM)
Christian Aid Ministries’ Help for the Elderly program is bringing practical help and Gospel encouragement to older adults in Romania, Liberia, Haiti, and other impoverished countries who can no longer support themselves. In a recent story, CAM highlighted Fayia, a man around 70 who survived war in Liberia, the deaths of close family members, and years of hardship before coming to faith in Christ. He is now too weak to farm and says the food parcels he receives through CAM help him sustain himself. There’s also Joseph, whose failing eyesight ended his ability to farm and left him struggling to care for himself after his wife left. Joseph says the food parcels are a gift from God and help supplement the little rice he can still buy. CAM’s elderly ministry provides basic food support to vulnerable seniors abroad while also reminding them they are not forgotten. CAM has a 5-Star Financial Efficiency Rating and A Transparency Grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a Donor Confidence Score of 96 (Give With Confidence).
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