Browning Masonic Community (BMC) received an $8,000 grant from Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. Through the generous gifts of its members, Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Waterville, Ohio, is pleased to offer grants for mission purposes beyond Zion and its congregation. Zion’s Endowment Committee administers the fund through an application process.

The Mission Endowment Fund is celebrating its 17th annual series of grants by awarding a total of $130,000 to 20 nonprofit organizations. Grant requests were due by December 28, 2020. Grants were not only given in northwestern Ohio, but went to locations as far away as Florida and Central America.

The grant request explained that in 2021 BMC is beginning “Connecting Realities,” a new approach and way of life at Pathways Memory Care Center.  This multidimensional approach to care and services leads to a satisfying quality of life for our residents within the community. Residents engage in meaningful programs such as hobbies, social activities that connect with events of the past. Health related empowerment, confidence and purpose in life are also promoted.

Connecting Realities is a Montessori based person-centered approach that focuses on the abilities, needs, interests and strengths of elders with dementia in a supportive environment.  It can identify where the person with Alzheimer’s is “living” at that moment and help them to become better engaged with those around them, including staff and family, and lead to a better quality of life.

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The approach features “life stations” throughout Pathways which support individuals by placing needed memory, visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory cues in the environment. All this provides useful cues and allows for attention to activities that are personally relevant to the community members.

Browning Masonic Community is thankful to have received this grant. It will be put to good use to support our community members that reside in Pathways Memory Care Center the BMC campus.