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The Periodic Midlife/Longlife Update E-newsletter - July 2007
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
of Partners In Pastoral Care
seeks to provide members with an ongoing flow of practical information that leaders/models can use directly with adults of all ages. Training is also offered through the educational arm of Partners in Pastoral Care.
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.
13300-56 South Cleveland Avenue Suite 238 Fort Myers, FL 33907 239.466.8664 239 482 3212 fax Shepardscare@aol.com www.partnersinpastoralcare.org
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be. – Kurt Vonnegut
In This Issue:
1. Retiring Early Increases Longevity? 2. Some Useful Web Sites for You and Your Group 3. An Important Part of any Visitation 4. Book Review: Ministering to Older Adults: The Building Blocks 5. Still Able to Rock – A Reflection
An article in the British Medical Journal, written by Shan P. Tsai, PhD, leader of a study of 3,500 Shell Oil retirees says that early retirement may lead to premature death! His recent finding is that people who retire at age 55 are twice as likely to die by age 65 as those who keep working. Until recently, it was generally thought that retiring early increased longevity.
Career tools: Job-hunting and career-management strategies from The Wall Street Journal. www.careerjournal.com .
Boosting study skills: Best ways to manage time, take notes, maintain concentration, etc. www.ucc.vt.edu/stdyhlp.html .
Latest deals: Search for the lowest prices, read customer reviews of merchants and products, find online coupons and special deals on computers, DVDs, clothing and more. www.secretprices.com.
3. As we grow older we tend to be find strength in compassion, caring, understanding, finding our giftedness in involvement in visitation ministry. On the other hand, physically, we are not as strong as we once were. Along those lines our immune system is challenged more easily by various viruses, which are common in the homes, facilities and wonderful people we visit. Something I was amazed to learn years ago and still holds true today is that ordinary soap and water eliminate most viruses. I was reminded of the fact just the other day by the chair of preventive medicine, Bill Schaffner, MD, at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in his statement that ordinary soap and water eliminates the dreaded and dangerous bird flu virus.
As we visit, we should be washing our hand prior to and after visiting each person, whether in their home, in an ALF, nursing home, hospital, or any other facility.
As a self-defense against any respiratory virus I make it a habit to wash my hands before eating...after using the bathroom…and before entering my car after visiting a person and again before entering my office and or home.
By the way, hand sanitizers that contain alcohol are just as affective. I carry the individual packet, conveniently, with me where ever I go. This allows me extra protection for myself and those around me.
The informative website for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases is www.nmfid.org.
4. Significant interest in congregational ministry with older adults in the United States began in the 1970’s. During that decade, the governing bodies of faith communities began to recognize older adults as important constituents in congregational life and to take notice of their pastoral needs. By the 1980s, most religious bodies had national staff dedicated to establishing and strengthening older adult ministries within congregations. In the 1990s, however, many entities either downgraded their older adult programs or eliminated them altogether. With few exceptions, such as the Charismatic and Pentecostal faith groups, we are seeing a resurgence of interest in older adult ministry. The impetus for this revival is coming from national and regional governing bodies, religion-related organizations and individual congregations. Ministering to Older Adults: The Building Blocks, edited by Donald R. Koepke, offers a new model for this new day in older adult ministry. Loepke brings to the task his clear-eyed and compassionate perspective as director of the Center for Spirituality and Aging, a program of California Lutheran Homes, based in Anaheim, California.
The first section of the book helps congregations reenvision again and assess the needs of their elders. The authors in this section address two important matters that congregations of all religious traditions face: the growing number of old adults in community and the diversity of the aging cohort. Rather than seeing these two trends as problems, the authors suggest that both could be exciting opportunities for ministry and congregational growth.
The second sexton of the book is designed to help leaders develop a vital ministry with, for and by older adults. Recognizing the programs for older adults need not duplicate nor mimic the senior- center model, the writers offer excellent programmatic suggestions that focus on spiritual nurture and formation, community development, and opportunities to serve and the served. The book steer ministry programs toward addressing elders’ authentic needs.
Each chapter contains a storehouse of references, reading lists and websites to guide practitioners and lay leaders in their work with older adults. The appendixes provide numerous tools to assess what congregations are currently doing as well as what they need to do to create substantive programs.
The process put forth in this boo, while important for those seeking to establish a new ministry, is equally important for any established older adult groups hoping to rethink and revamp their ministry. Koepke and his contributors, describe the key components of an older adult ministry for the present age.
Written clearly and concisely, Ministering to Older Adults is sure to become and important pastoral tool for congregations that want to address the needs of their elder members with meaning and purpose.
5. On a recent flight, my attention was peaked when one of my fellow seat mates offered me the entertainment section of a national news paper. The lead article had to do with older musicians still performing. I could hardly believe that Paul McCartney will be turning 65 next month and brought to mind his song “When I’m Sixty-Four,” written almost 40 years ago when he was a mere lad of 25. I was also reminded that Tom Petty, the Eagles, the Beach Boys, and Elton John are all age 55 or older. Jimmy Buffett is 60; Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend are both 61.
Getting older isn’t stopping these gentlemen from rocking. They continue to be legends in the industry and still pack stadiums. Not long ago the Rolling Stones, drew an unbelievable audience down where I live, with fans attending with their children and grandchildren.
But the article was getting criticized for being too old to rock. It reported that when the Stones begin a tour, there was incredulity that a group of men ages 60 and older have the audacity to still thrill audiences the way they did when they were 20. Why do people joke that band members and their audiences, having once enjoyed the smell of marijuana at concerts, now get off on the scent of Ben Gay?
The truth of the matter is that ageism is real and unapologetic among some music critics. To me its like sending the message: You guys were great in your day . . . now act your age and stop embarrassing us all.
Such narrow thinking brings to mind the story of Abraham and Sarah, who, when they were 100 and 90 respectively, did indeed “get naked” and conceive Isaac. Sarah’s response to Isaac’s birth is similar to that of the rock critics – incredulity: “God has made me a laughingstock; all who hear of this will laugh at me.” (Gen. 21:6) In other words, they will say, “Sarah, you didn't act your age, and you've embarrassed yourself and us!”
By expecting, Sarah is doing the unexpected. Therefore, what can she expect from others but laughter? And why not? Given the circumstances, laughter is natural and human – even the biblical text says so. But that is the point. It is a human response, and it may be arrogantly shortsighted. To the mockers’ incredulity, God responds, “Is there anything that is too difficult for the Lord?” (Gen.18:14) For us people of faith, the answer is, of course, no. Indeed, we may not witness 90-year-old women giving birth on a regular basis, but we are still enjoying the gifts that God are giving us each and every day.
As a new summer begins, with its calls for renewed inspiration and renewed vision, may each of us courageously consider our individual and unique life’s music God has ordained us to play. 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.
