Spiritual needs are tied in with the essence of the person and its raison d’être. Like everyone else, the elderly are searching for the meaning of life and a sense of belonging to a community that shares their fundamental values. They also seek to connect with a transcendent Being so as to make sense of their suffering and grief.
Grieving is a common occurrence among older adults (deceased relatives and friends, poor health, loss of home and autonomy, such as a driver’s license), and the goal is to help them with respect and compassion, to maintain or recover a positive attitude toward aging.
The following are a few links to resources in the community:
Guidance and tools supporting best practices in the isolation care of people with dementia in long-term care.
The Gifts of Aging
Unwrap those gifts of aging. They add beauty, not only to your life, but they bless the lives of others as you pass them on...And your perspective offers hope to a generation challenged by the pandemic. Things may not be perfect, but they may be perfectly fine – if we embrace the gifts of aging. Read more...
Spiritual Care Series The Spiritual Care Series (SCS) includes eight two-hour sessions of training that are practical as well as highly relevant. In addition to the video content, the course includes a 200-page participant workbook, as well as group discussions, practical exercises and individual activities. The SCS is sector endorsed and suitable for a wide range of volunteers involved in Long-Term Care homes, any other seniors' housing operated by faith-based providers, or in parishes. The SCS by design is a flexible learning resource and suitable for large or small group facilitated settings.
CHAM wishes to share a vision to promote and pursue excellence in the provision of pastoral and spiritual care for the benefit of older people, their significant others and their caregivers. You will:
- Develop a broad understanding of the pastoral and spiritual needs of older people
- Understand spirituality and its connection to quality care of older people
- Receive the key components of practical knowledge required to undertake pastoral and spiritual care to seniors including those in Long-Term Care or receiving advanced home care
The series offers the opportunity to redefine what good pastoral care looks like within the context and banner of spiritual care. The training program consists of the following eight segments:
Understanding the ageing process, Spirituality in ageing; Good Communication; The Power of Storytelling; Dementia; A New Home and a New Way of Life; Grief, Loss, Death and Dying; Roles, Boundaries and Self-Care
For more information, click on: https://chatcanada.org/spiritual-care-series-pathways-to-meaningful-ageing/
Can virtual reality (VR) help seniors? Study hopes to find out
"VR, when administered properly, can help reduce anxiety, improve mood, and reduce pain," said Jeremy Bailenson, the Stanford lab's founding director. This particular study is focused on how using VR might reduce the residents' feelings of isolation from the outside world..." Read more...
Loneliness is an epidemic among seniors that requires a caring response
“Research shows that chronic loneliness can impact older adults’ memory, physical well-being, mental health and life expectancy... In fact, some research suggests that chronic loneliness may shorten life expectancy even more than being overweight or sedentary, and just as much as smoking.” Read more...
BOOKS
Aging Is a Family Affair: How to Prepare for Tomorrow's Difficult Caregiving Conversations—Today by Mary Ann Massey EdD
Collecting 33 unique family case studies derived directly from patient experiences, formally conducted interviews, and informal encounters and anecdotes, this resource illustrates several inevitable lessons that reinforce the pressing need for families to engage aging loved ones sooner, not later, about long-term elder care, loss, and end of life planning. Each narrative approaches aging from a unique perspective, exposing real families overcoming their own taboos, dysfunctional relationships, unhealed wounds, and other unforeseen challenges. Unique in its focus, extent, and narrative format, each study is complemented by clear, reassuring, and practical advice.
Publication date: 2011-04-15 ISBN: 9780824526238 To order the book: To order the book: https://en.novalis.ca/collections/church-andsociety/products/aging-is-a-family-affair
Aging with Grace: What the Nun Study Teaches Us About Leading Longer, Healthier, and More Meaningful Lives by David Snowdon, PhD
In 1986 Dr. David Snowdon, one of the world’s leading experts on Alzheimer’s disease, embarked on a revolutionary scientific study that would forever change the way we view aging—and ultimately living. Dubbed the “Nun Study” because it involves a unique population of 678 Catholic sisters, this remarkable long-term research project has made headlines worldwide with its provocative discoveries.
Yet Aging with Grace is more than a groundbreaking health and science book. It is the inspiring human story of these remarkable women—ranging in age from 74 to 106—whose dedication to serving others may help all of us live longer and healthier lives.
Publication date: 2018-01-01 ISBN: 9782896884513 To order the book: https://en.novalis.ca/products/aging-with-grace-what-the-nun-study-teaches-us-about-leading-longer-healthier-and-more-meaningful-lives?_pos=28&_sid=d8fe102f0&_ss=r