Page 41 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2017 - Online Magazine

our seniors. He writes of a conversation with Felix us into service, to be the hands and feet of Jesus to
Silverstone, a geriatrician, who said, “Mainstream these special seniors. Even the “Oldest old” can become
doctors are turned off by geriatrics, and that’s because interactive, even though they seem dull, overmedicated,
they do not have faculties to cope with Old Crock. The or prone to sleep most of the time. One woman on my
Old Crock is deaf…has poor vision…and a somewhat mother’s wing who seemed withdrawn and quiet was
impaired memory. And the Old Crock doesn’t just sitting in a common area reading her Bible. I began to
have a chief complaint—the Old Crock has fifteen chief engage her, asking about her reading habits and her
complaints. How in the world are you going to cope spiritual background. Since then, she always lights up
with all of them? You’re overwhelmed.” (pp. 36,37). when I approach. We have some great dialogues.

The Medical Model is Inadequate Caring for the Care Givers
Dr. Gawande captures the purpose of his book in the “There has been increasing concern about the current
Epilogue: “We’ve been wrong about what our job is and future supply of acute and long-term care workers,
in medicine. We think our job is to ensure health and especially nurses and paraprofessional staff, such
survival. But really it is larger than that. It is to enable as certified nurse assistants, home health aides, and
well-being. And well-being is about the reasons one personal care attendants. Unskilled paraprofessionals,
wishes to be alive” (p. 259). He does more than daunt who provide the bulk of long-term care services, are
us with the size of the problem. He effectively traces overwhelmingly women and disproportionately drawn
the transformation of geriatric care from the “nursing from racial and ethnic minorities. Low wages and
home” to brighter alternatives like assisted living and benefits, hard working conditions, heavy workloads and
multi-level life care. He lets us peek into the lives of a job that has been stigmatized by society make worker
senior citizens whom he has learned can be engaged recruitment and retention difficult.” (International
rather than warehoused, who can experience renewal, Journal of Epidemiology, online)
and who can build and retain vibrant relationships. So here is another segment of our culture that is begging
He clearly educates about the value of aging, the for Christian outreach and touch. Supervisors, nurses,
kinds of relationships patients have with doctors, and aides, kitchen helpers, and cleaning personnel may
how all care givers can encourage a fuller life. His comprise some of the most unappreciated and unnoticed
book also sharpened my view of end-of-life issues, vocations in our culture. I make it a point to know them,
hospice and palliative care, clarified the matter of life call them by name, joke with them, encourage them, and
expectancy, and helped me identify the myths I may minister to them. The response is very positive. We must
have accepted. Drawing upon his own medical practice personify the Great Commission and Golden Rule to
and experiences, he challenges some of the conclusions these people too.
our culture has embraced about unnecessarily and What can be done to minister to the elderly and their
artificially prolonging life at any cost. (Dr. Gawande care givers? 1) Initiate visits to facilities for the elderly.
implies he would endorse euthanasia if he could, a view Ask the staff which residents need special attention.
which I do not share.) 2) Volunteer. Helpers are welcomed in all areas. 3) Be
Referring to drawn-out medical treatments as “a certain your congregation has an outreach to the elderly.
long tail of possibility,” he writes, “The trouble is that The “Young Old” are often looking for meaningful
we’ve built our medical system and culture around the service, and gladly assist those a bit older who are more
long tail. We’ve created a multimillion-dollar edifice limited. 4) Pray especially for and with the elderly.
for dispensing the medical equivalent of lottery tickets Offering prayer is such a vital outreach. 5) Have an
– and have only the rudiments of a system to prepare adopt-a-senior initiative, either personally, as a church,
patients for the near certainty that those tickets will or both. Celebrate special days, help with note writing,
not win. Hope is not a plan, but hope is our plan” (pp. run errands, read aloud, pray with them, and especially
171,172). listen.
Interfacing with senior citizens provides profound Take a moment to hear the muffled cries for help
opportunities for compassionate Jesus-servants to shine. coming from our senior citizens.
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 ~ Chaplain Bob Mize

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