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May 2005
The Periodic Midlife/Longlife Update E-newsletter
The Periodic Midlife/Longlife Update E-newsletter is devoted to sharing information and enhancing excellence in ongoing faith and holistic formation for maturing adults from midlife through end of life.
Bill Prather, Founder and Director
Partners in Pastoral Care
Seeks to provide members with an ongoing flow of practical information that leader/models can use directly with adults of all ages, and by offering training through its educational arm . All opinions expressed herein are those of the author. Permission is granted to reproduce this issue in whole or in part as long as its source is identified.
8695 College Parkway The Renaissance Executive Building
Suite 327 Fort Myers , FL 33919 239 466 8664 Shepardscare@aol.com
In This Issue:
Excellent Senior Adult Group Tour Destination for Summer
Ways of Helping Those Within Your Touch, Fight Alzheimer’s Disease
A Book On My Shelf – A Review for Your Consideration
What is Successful Aging?
Let the Sun Shine In
1. Think about a “ tour of learning ” of the Amish Lifestyle and Faith? I can highly recommend The Hershbergers and other Amish home tours. Carol Glessner of Country Coach Adventures, (877) 359 5282, specializes in taking groups to Amish homes and other sites in Ohio’s Amish country.
Season: April through December.
Getting there: The Hershbergers’ home and their Hillside Bulk Foods and Crafts store in Baltic is located west of Interstate 77 off of state Route 651.
Nearby Attractions: Guggisberg Cheese Factory, 5060 state Route 557, Millersburg Lehman’s hardware, 1 Lehman Circle, Kidron Schrock’s Amish Farm, 4363 State Route 39, Berlin Simply Smucker’s, 333 Wadswoorth Road, Orrville Warther’s Carvings, 331 Karl Ave., Dover
2. An estimated 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. The number of Americans with Alzheimer’s has more than doubled since 1980. The number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease will continue to grow – by 2050 the number of individuals with Alzheimer’s could range from 11.3 million to 16 million.
It’s important to understand that our future is only as healthy as our brains.
The Alzheimer’s Association has launched a campaign called “Maintain Your Brain.” The campaign empowers elders and their families to take an active role in maintaining their health.
Vascular dementia is the second leading cause of memory loss behind Alzheimer’s disease. In your ministry and activities with Seniors, it is possible to significantly help reduce their risk of vascular dementia by creating ways of doing ministry and encouraging those in your group to take care of their heart and maintain their brain.
HERE ARE A FEW STEPS TO TAKE IN HELPING THOSE IN YOUR GROUP.
Each month prior to your meeting or after, have a nurse in attendance to take blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and body weight. Give each of your members a special recording book where they can keep a daily record of these areas, as well.
At every Senior Adult sponsored lunch, pot luck, dinner, snack or whenever eating, make sure the foods nutritious. Serve foods high in vitamins E & C. It is seldom that I see much fish at Senior’s dinners. If the church provides the meat, serve salmon, mackerel or other foods high in omega-3 fatty acids often.
At each and every meeting of your group, institute an exercise time before you begin the body of the function, , including, worship, devotionals or sermons. When taking a trip, plan in an exercise time each two hours you are on the bus, van, or car. This you will need to plan into your time of travel. Make sure you tell the transportation company that you want to stop this often.
Not only the body but most important is to exercise the brain. At each and every function, event, service initiate a “participation time.” This might be reading the Bible together (no just one scripture but a few), memorization of the Bible, together. Form a quiz team/s and compete once or twice a year. Hand out notes with “fill in the blanks.” So many ways to keep Seniors minds active.
By following just these few simple suggestions, you will be taking a responsible pastoral care function in helping yourself and those you minister take an active role in the quality of health. For greater information, contact your local Alzheimer’s organization.
3. One of the books on my study shelf that find myself drawn to time and again is Spiritual Maturity in the Later Years, James J. Seeber, Ph.D. editor, Haworth Press, 1990. The book is a compilation of articles written by rather well known authors in the field of gerontology and spirituality. In the lead article by David O. Moberg, he quotes the National Interfaith Coalition on Aging (NICA) definition of spiritual well-being as "...the affirmation of life in a relationship with God, self, community and environment that nurtures and celebrates wholeness."
There's a most interesting article by Kenneth Stokes that attempts to measure faith development in later life. Among the findings are: "Faith development is not significantly related to age; it does not differ qualitatively by sex, although men's and women's approaches to faith development are subtly different; and there is a positive correlation between psycho-social health and faith development." This last finding is of course the "meat" of this month's issue.
In an article by Melvin Kimble, Ph.D., entitled "Aging and the Search for Meaning", Professor Kimble, using Viktor Frankl's meaning development theory introduces an approach that describes the process by which the meaning of aging can be interpreted. His conclusion; "Religion has the inescapable challenge in this technocratic age to try to bring wholeness to older persons plagued with the brooding sense of emptiness which characterizes ... the sickness of our time."
Finally, William M. Clements, BD, Ph.D. in his article "Spiritual Development in the Fourth Quarter of Life" asserts, "Meaning making is, in fact, enhanced in the fourth quarter of life... The desire and ability to make sense out of existence, to draw together an understanding of a meaningful life trajectory, is best done in the fourth quarter of life." This is perhaps one of the best rationales I have read for the "faith life review."
There are seven or eight other articles, each with its own "spin" on spiritual maturity. I can recommend Spiritual Maturity in the Late Years without reservation. It's a bit academic in spots but generally approaches the whole notion of the synergy between gerontology and spirituality in a most friendly way. It's a worthwhile read for serious students of Spiritual Gerontology.
This book can be ordered through our bookstore at a substantial savings along with thousands of others. Go to our website at www.partnersinpastoralcare.org and click on the “bookstore.”
4. Last month I gave you some personality characteristics that lent themselves to self-absorption and stagnation resulting in negative maturation leading to unsuccessful aging?
Here, let me share some attribute that I believe lead to what I consider positive maturing, therefore successful aging. These individuals:
have evolved a generous view of others and of the world, which includes maintaining a forgiving stance toward faults and inadequacies in themselves an others.
They have a giving attitude toward themselves and others.
They give more financially than do most people.
They form a caring and positive relationship with nature.
They are concerned about the quality of the environment that will be passed on to future generations.
They are reflective and seek self-understanding.
They have had a pivotal event or events that led to transition or re-birth experiences. Everyone has such events, but generative people use them to grow and expand while non-generative people withdraw and blame others for their misfortunes.
They simplify their lives. Generative people take time to gain the insight needed to clear away clutter and confusion.
They learn to set limits.
They have the courage to change both themselves and conditions around them.
They describe themselves as spiritual, they trust God or some Higher Power, and they trust the life process.
Others seek them out for counsel, wisdom, perspective, and creative insight.
They are committed to continued learning. Generative people often spend considerable time learning on their own or attend a variety of workshops and classes.
They are clearly engaged in caring behaviors toward themselves and others.
They are evolving healthier eating and exercise patterns.
They find laughter and tears coming easily and spontaneously.
They are hopeful people. They take their dreams seriously, and their lives demonstrate that some dreams do come true.
They have courage to deal with their own mortality, making appropriate plans as needed.
5. Sunlight reduces the need for pain medication? Surgery patients in sunny rooms had drug costs 21% lower than those of equally ill patients in darker rooms. Possible reason: People feel less pain if they are in a better mood, and sunlight seems to improve mood.
The full story can be found in Psychiatric Medicine and written by Bruce S. Rabin, MD, PHD, medical director, Health Lifetime Program, University of Pittsburgh.
This periodic e-newsletter is sent free of charge to pastors, leaders and interested individuals. If you have friends that would like to receive this newsletter, please have them e-mail Shepardscare@aol.com and we will add them to our list. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter please e-mail Shepardscare@aol.com and put the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
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