By Bob Mize
Their needs are outpacing our resources. But the church can help.
Four decades ago, Frances Schaeffer, in How Shall We Then Live?, forecast that the next throwaway segment of our society (after aborted babies) would be the elderly by euthanasia. Physician aid-in-dying, or assisted suicide, is now legal in the states of Washington, Oregon, California, and Vermont. Schaeffer”s gloomy prophecy has become reality.
The elderly are becoming viewed as a dispensable segment of society. Christians should work to make sure this doesn”t occur.
This devaluation of our seniors is serious, but equally concerning is that their needs are outpacing resources.
In 2050 the population aged 65 and older in the United States is projected to be 83.7 million, almost double the 2012 estimate of 43.1 million. Statistics and trends of an aging population are driving the rapid increase in care facilities””many of which are understaffed””and the economic burden on the younger population.
The dramatic rise in the number of people reaching 65 has expanded classifications into three subpopulations: the “Young Old” (ages 65″“74), the “Old” (74″“84), and the “Oldest-Old” (85-plus).
The Young Old is the first wave of baby boomers who reached full retirement age in 2011. Over the next 20 years, 74 million boomers will be retiring. Because of increased longevity, a wave of aging baby boomers will expand the Old category.
The Oldest-Old is the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, with a growth rate twice that of the Old and almost four times that of the total population. The Oldest-Old now represent 10 percent of the older population, but that is about to skyrocket, according to Transgenerational Design Matters (transgenerational.org), an advocacy group.
These are more than mere “fast facts.” These facts are a call to ministry, and must shape our response as Jesus followers.
Ministering to the Elderly
Emotional problems of the elderly often increase with physical decline. Care facilities are full of residents/patients with deteriorating sight, hearing, and mobility. And the result? There is a huge need for Christian ministry to the aging and dying, to the lonely and lost and their families.
We cannot assume doctors and technology will resolve everything. In his must-read book Being Mortal, Dr. Atul Gawande examines the inadequacy of doctors and their practices to meet the needs of our seniors. He writes of a conversation with Felix Silverstone, a geriatrician, who said,
Mainstream doctors are turned off by geriatrics, and that”s because they do not have faculties to cope with Old Crock. The Old Crock is deaf . . . has poor vision . . . and a somewhat impaired memory. . . . And the Old Crock doesn”t just have a chief complaint””the Old Crock has fifteen chief complaints. How in the world are you going to cope with all of them? You”re overwhelmed.
The Medical Model Is Inadequate
Gawande captures the purpose of his book in the Epilogue: “We”ve been wrong about what our job is in medicine. We think our job is to ensure health and survival. But really it is larger than that. It is to enable well-being. And well-being is about the reasons one wishes to be alive.”
Gawande does more than daunt us with the size of the problem. He effectively traces the transformation of geriatric care from the “nursing home” to brighter alternatives like assisted living and multilevel life care. He lets us peek into the lives of senior citizens he”s learned can be engaged rather than warehoused, who can experience renewal, and who can build and retain vibrant relationships. He clearly educates about the value of aging, the kinds of relationships patients have with doctors, and how all caregivers can encourage a fuller life.
His book also sharpened my view of end-of-life issues, hospice, and palliative care. It clarified the matter of life expectancy and helped me identify the myths I may have accepted. Drawing upon his own medical experiences, he challenges some of the conclusions our culture has embraced about unnecessarily and artificially prolonging life at any cost. (Gawande implies he would endorse euthanasia if he could, a view which I do not share.)
Referring to drawn-out medical treatments as “a long tail of possibility,” he writes,
The trouble is that we”ve built our medical system and culture around the long tail. We”ve created a multitrillion-dollar edifice for dispensing the medical equivalent of lottery tickets””and have only the rudiments of a system to prepare patients for the near certainty that those tickets will not win. Hope is not a plan, but hope is our plan.
Interfacing with senior citizens provides profound opportunities for compassionate servants of Jesus to shine. When I visit my mother in assisted living, attendants often mention how few residents have visitors. Walking those hallways can be depressing, but it should nudge us into service to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these special seniors.
Even the Oldest-Old can become interactive, though many seem dull, overmedicated, or prone to sleep most of the time. One woman on my mother”s wing who seemed withdrawn and quiet was sitting in a common area reading her Bible. I approached and asked about her reading habits and her spiritual background. Since then she always lights up when I approach. We have some great conversations.
Caring for the Caregivers
Here is another segment of our culture that is begging for Christian outreach and touch. Supervisors, nurses, aides, kitchen helpers, and cleaning personnel may comprise some of the most unappreciated and unnoticed vocations in our culture.
There has been increasing concern about the current and future supply of acute and long-term care workers, especially nurses and paraprofessional staff, such as certified nurse assistants, home health aides, and personal care attendants. Unskilled paraprofessionals, who provide the bulk of long-term care services, are overwhelmingly women and disproportionately drawn from racial and ethnic minorities. Low wages and benefits, hard working conditions, heavy workloads and a job that has been stigmatized by society make worker recruitment and retention difficult.
“”International Journal of Epidemiology, http://ije.oxfordjournals.org)
I make it a point to know those who work these jobs. I call them by name, joke with them, encourage them, and minister to them. The response is very positive. We must personify the Great Commission and Golden Rule to these people too.
What can be done to minister to the elderly and their caregivers? Here are some ideas:
1. Visit facilities for the elderly. Ask staff members which residents need special attention.
2. Volunteer. Helpers are welcomed in all areas.
3. Be certain your congregation has an outreach to the elderly. The Young Old are often looking for meaningful service and gladly assist those a bit older who are more limited.
4. Pray for and with the elderly. Offering prayer is a vital outreach.
5. Start an adopt-a-senior initiative, either personally, as a church, or both. Celebrate special days, help with note writing, run errands, read aloud, pray with them, and especially listen.
Take a moment to hear the muffled cries for help coming from our senior citizens.
Bob Mize is a chaplain, minister, and freelance writer who lives with his wife, Charlotte, in Lubbock, Texas.
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