Working with Shut ins
My mom has recently taken a position at her church as a pastor to the elderly shut ins. She’s very good at it because she is compassionate and full of mercy and hospitality. That is kind of her weakness too. Because so many of the elderly have given up on life or are dying, it is very draining emotionally.
Normally, she’ll just go visit with them and talk to them. In our culture, children to a very poor job of taking care of their parents and so the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the church. She’s heard a lot of great stories and met a lot of interesting people.
One of the things she’s noticed is the differences in lifestyle. They live different hours of the day. Eat at different times and many have changes in their homes to adapt to their age. For instance, several have a handicap accessible bathtub or an ADA bathtub to make it safer and easier to bathe, without fear of harm or injury. Many of them have suffered through illnesses or are fighting injuries even now, and it’s just nice to help them in their need.
Introspection – how do I view the elderly? Are they refuse, non-contributors to society? Or precious, able to teach and impart wisdom? I think we all could do better at caring for them.
