July 2009

“The latter years of our lives are given us by God to giveHim thanks, to use our maturity, to use our manifoldgifts because there’s no one more varied than the elderlyperson. These years are not ours just to salt away; theyare ours to help leaven society.” Sister Constance

IAFN International Anglican Family Network

V A L U I N G O U R E L D E R SEDITORIAL

Sister Constance (then aged 75). Photo: The Anglican Journal.

Sr. Constance, a 105-year-old sister of the Sisterhood of St John theDivine, is legendary in Canada for her ministry to seniors. She earned anM.A. in Gerontology at 73, travelled daily by bicycle in her 70s to her jobas the first chaplain in a Toronto seniors’ home, and helped found theCanadian Institute of Religion and Gerontology. As chaplain, she institutedtwice-yearly Celebration of Life services in the Cathedral which broughtseniors from senior centres, seniors’ housing projects and nursing homeson foot, in wheelchairs and on stretchers by ambulance. At 90, shepublished her autobiography and continued her visiting of the elderly wellinto her 100s, travelling by subway and later with a personal driver.

by Dr James Woodward, Canon of St George’sWindsor, England; author of Valuing Age publishedby SPCK (2008).Most of us are in some kind of denial about our own age.Ask yourself what age you feel inside and many would say atleast ten or 15 years younger than we are. Enquire of anorthern European congregation what most threatens theirsense of stability and they might reflect back that it is thereality of their ageing supporters. This is in sharp contrastto the value given to older people in some other societies.We deny that which we fear. Fearful people build fearfulplaces where some of the people and experiences of life aremarginalised. This can lead to prejudice and some injustice.All of this should disturb us, for we are all growing olderand should share a conviction that our faith has potential fortransformation.Look again at the picture of Sister Constance. She offers avery different model of ageing! Change, diminishment anddeath are part of an older person’s lot; but there is also theopportunity for growth, wisdom, integrity and theappreciation of the sheer gift of living.Why not attempt to picture yourself in 20 years’ time? An older person. What do you see and what feelings are associated with that picture? Energy, blessing,empowerment, creativity? Or perhaps it is diminishment,frailty, vulnerability, a sense of loss and impending death?These questions grounded in our own journey are animportant part of our discipleship. We neglect them at ourperil.I continue to experience some disappointment at theresistance in people and communities to face up to therealities of age and ageing. This excellent IAFN newsletteris a wonderful encouragement.In these pages you will discover how some of thesequestions are tackled in greater practical length. Fromacross cultures we are offered challenges to ourstereotypes of age. Are older people in our Churchesviewed as ‘honourable treasures for wisdom’ (see Africa); anintegral and important part of the community (Papua NewGuinea)? Are we imaginative enough to face thedemographic realities and organise ourselves around theneeds of older people for creative engagement? (Hong Kong)How do we practise respect (India)? How often do weassume that we know what older people either want orneed (New Zealand)? Might some of the examples of goodpractice encourage us to respond to a small group of olderpeople in our communities? How might we participate inthe political processes to ensure that older people and theresourcing of their support and care become a higherpriority for health and social care (Canada, Scotland)?We have always believed that in our proclamation of theKingdom all people whatever their age belong to God inlove. As part of our commitment to working out justicewhich is part of that love, age and valuing age need tobecome more of a priority. I commend those many people in these pages who haveshared their stories. I hope and pray that we might listenand respond. Now look back into that mirror and face thereality and possibility of your own age with courage andexcitement.For further reflections on these matters see(www.jameswoodward.wordpress.com)

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The African elderly are honourablepeople who are considered the shade inevery home and village. They are thetreasure for wisdom. No matter how olda person is, in the family and thecommunity they are respected and are apoint of reference.

In Malawi the elderly are still respectedand looked up to. However, with theincreasing pressure from HIV/AIDS manyelderly no longer enjoy rest in their lateryears. They instead find themselves thesupporters of their own grandchildren.Others are living in poverty because theirchildren are either too sick, or have diedand are unable to support them.

For these reasons, The Salvation Armyhas two approaches to the needs of theelderly. One programme, funded from theUSA, supports 732 elderly people, 658 ofthem female, with monthly food supplies.The second is through AAA Clubs –“Amai, Abambo, Akulu” (Women, Men,Mature). The local headman formed theclubs and gave land to the old to cultivate,helped by their grandchildren. The cropsare maize, beans and sunflowers to assistthem in their care of orphans. Thecommunities are now taking ownership ofthe need to support the elderly.

However, with the increasing pressure onolder people, two other projects: HopeHIV, and the UK Orphan VulnerableChildren Support Projects (OVC) seek tosupport the elderly who care fororphaned children – some not even theirown. These projects work through 11centres of The Salvation Armythroughout Malawi to provide teachingon HIV/AIDS, and on the rights of

orphaned children. They also seek tosensitise them about the needs oforphans within their communities.

Through this initiative, 270 elderly peopleare helped and encouraged as they carefor around 6000 orphans. The orphansthemselves are encouraged to be part ofchildren's clubs where they are providedwith play materials as well as counselling.They also receive school materials anduniforms. For the OVC project, it isrecognised that the elderly need themeans to sustain themselves and 75grandparents (68 female) have been givengoats so that they can breed them and sellthe offspring to assist them financially. 23grandparents have been given micro-credit loans by The Salvation Army toenable them to run small businesses tohelp them support their orphanedgrandchildren. Eunice Mpina, whose twodaughters died leaving her with fiveorphans between the ages of seven andfifteen, testifies that the loan has enabledher to set up a doughnut-baking andselling business. She is now able to payfees and support the family. The SalvationArmy OVC Project has also tried to meetthe needs of older carers by supportingthem with food, shelter and bedding.

In Uganda, The Salvation Army UgandaCommunity Care Programme fororphans organises weekly savings-clubcomponents. These support the elderlythrough savings and micro-enterprise.Women form groups of 25, save moneyand share loans in groups.

Loyce, 86, lives with her mentallydisturbed grandson. She sold her landin order to treat her grandson.

In 2005, she started saving and theaccount grew to Uganda shs 85,000.She was able to build her own house.

Angelina, aged 66 years, lives with hertwo grandchildren whose parentsdivorced. She joined the Savings Cluband after six months, asked for a loanwith which she bought a tree. Her sonhelped her to cut it down and split itinto timber which they used toconstruct a house. By continuing towork on people’s land, she was able tobuy two goats which have nowmultiplied to five.

Sarah, the secretary of the Women’sGroup, reports that Tom, whose wifedied six years ago, was left with a two-month-old baby. The Women’s Groupprovided basic needs for the baby.This has been a relief to thegrandmother who looks after him andwho is already burdened by caring foranother relative who is bedriddenwith AIDS.

ChallengesElders face a lot of challenges. Amongthese are inadequate financial support tomeet their basic needs, malnutrition and

ill health. Age itself is against them ingoing the extra mile to support orphansand other vu lnerab le ch i l d ren .HIV/AIDS is another challenge that theageing people face. This scourge has killedthe most active age group in the society.

AFRICA

Help for elderly people. Photo: The Salvation Army.

Elderly woman with an orphan. Photo: The Savation Army.

A r t i c l e c o n t r i b u t e d b yCommissioner Rosemary Makina,The SalvationArmy.

Anglican IndigenousNetwork: Voice ofthe Elders:At the recent gathering of the AnglicanIndigenous Network (AIN), held onthe island of Hawaii, Bishop John Grayof the Pihoptanga of Aotearoa (MaoriBishopric of New Zealand) asked aquestion that is being increasinglypondered: “What is an elder today?”and noted that in New Zealand the agefor Maori senior citizens is plummetingdown to the low forties. One replywas heard many years ago at a NativeAmerican gathering of elders, when ayoung person got up after listening tothe discussion and remarked, “Thereare some people who grow old andthere are some who are wise.”

During the deliberations of thisIndigenous Network gathering, theissue of internal governance andadministration provoked several of thedelegates representing elders to speak.Uncertain of the proposals to haveAIN operate like other organisations,they stated, “Some of us elders feelcompelled to say that we too feel thegravity and need to find someone forour next Secretary-General. We wantto do it in the way our peoples seek aleader among us – by consultation, byprayer, by looking in and of ourselves,guided by the Holy Spirit. We are notto be rushed for expediency as somedo at tribal meetings to bully us tosilence. We ask that we can reflectupon the good people alreadymentioned, talk privately with them,go back home and look among ourown people deserving of being ourSecretary-General for someone whocan and will be able to work with all ofus and stand with us on our land. Webelieve in the present executives andtrust their wisdom and experience andwould forward the name or names forthem to consider. We know this to bethe ways of our peoples and aredetermined to keep AIN grounded inour indigenous way.” They were sayingthat what makes an elder is this: Ageshould reflect years of experience andaccumulated wisdom and knowledge,and the willingness to speak out and toshare with others so that they maylearn and be skilled.

Article contributed by Esther Hui,Assistant Director, Hong Kong ShengKung Hui Welfare Council, HONG KONG

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Cyber world for SeniorsThis project has been set up at an H.K.S.K.HElderly Community Centre since November2000. The Cyber World, with speciallydesigned computer facilities and varioustraining courses, enables seniors to browse theInternet for health and other information andalso to learn IT knowledge. It aims to assist ourseniors to march into a new era of e-living andto adjust well to the ever-changing world.

‘Honour your father and your mother’(Exodus 20:12)From the teachings of the Bible as well as theChinese culture of filial piety (ßµ, xiao), there

is a longc h e r i s h e dtradition of‘Valuing ourElders’. In facingthe risingnumbers ofan ageingpopulat ionas well as

the trend of solitary living of seniors, thegreatest challenge in Hong Kong is theprovision of seamless care to our seniorsto allow them to “age in place” with dignityand respect.

The Challenges of Population Ageingin Hong KongHong Kong is experiencing a rapid growthin the numbers of older people. Thepopulation aged 65 and above is projected torise from 12.7% (0.89 million) in 2008 to 27%in 2033 (2.26 million).This is a major cause ofconcern for policy makers and serviceproviders. In response, the Government setup the ‘Elderly commission’ for formulation ofaged-care policy and has designated ‘Care forElders’ as a major strategic objective since1997. In Hong Kong, over 80% of socialservice is subsidised by the Government. Buta very important role is also played by theChurch through the HKSKH Welfare Council.The Anglican Church in Hong Kong shouldnot merely play the role of service-providerfor the Government. Carrying the mission ofbeing the most proactive social welfareorganisation in Hong Kong, working to build asociety of justice, peace, love and care, theWelfare Council endeavours to pilot newproducts towards meeting the emerging needsof the community. As a trailblazer for aged-care, we have set up numerous pioneerprojects. For example:

The World’s first Golden GuidesThese senior guides were established in 1990to enable citizens over the age of 60 toretrieve more opportunities to participate incommunity activities and enhance their senseof belonging to our society. They have regularunit meetings and participate in trainingactivities in accordance with the Eight PointProgramme of the Girl Guides.

HONG KONG

Innovation of Integral Care: Senior Citizen Residential SchemeIn 1996, a survey showed that there was strongdemand for purpose-built housing for middle-income seniors. Cheerful Court, an innovativeSenior Citizen Residences Scheme, wasinitiated by the Hong Kong Housing Society andthe Social Welfare Council of the Churchthrough strategic partnership. The HousingSociety acts as property-developer while theChurch Welfare Council is responsible forfacility management and provision of self-financing medical and social care. The schemeadopts the concepts of “Supported Housing"and "Lease for Life" to provide "a Home morethan a Home" for seniors who can afford it.The facilities support residents to enjoy activeageing and healthy lifestyle with a sense ofsecurity and freedom of choice. CheerfulCourt provides 333 residential units with a fullrange of security and safety devices installed.The club provides facilities including arestaurant, swimming pool cum hydro-pool,gymnasium, library-cum-computer room,shuttle bus. Service provision includes a health-care centre with Chinese herbal and Westernmedicines, dental clinic and rehabilitationprogramme. An intensive care unit with 57beds, which offers transitional and long-termcare to residents and the community, is incorporated. A stroke-rehabilitationprogramme now provides more options of carefor stroke patients and also a pilot project to tryout a user-pay model for the sector and thefuture market. The Centre initiates a brand-new lifestyle –living with care – and has achieved great success.All units were soon leased out, with over 200applicants on the waiting list. The insight andexperience gained at the project spearhead thedevelopment of aged-care and housing optionsin Hong Kong.

Article contributed by Malcolm NaeaChun, Secretary General AnglicanIndigenous Network, HAWAI

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In Indian culture, respect for elders isimportant. One always gives respect toolder people and we ask for theirblessings. We know that Isaac blessed hissons, Jacob and Esau. Also, when Jacobwent to Egypt to stay with his son Joseph,he blessed Pharaoh. When he was veryold, he blessed his sons before dying.

According to our marriage customs,when the bride or groom is leaving thehome to go to church for the marriage,there is a prayer by the priest and theblessings of the elders is sought. Thebride or groom stands on a mat in frontof the grandparent, and after giving themdakshina (presents), they touch the feetof the grandparent who then prays andblesses them. This also takes place whenleaving home for a long journey.

The fifth of the Ten Commandments Godgave to Moses deals with honouring yourparents. It is the only commandment witha promise of long life if we obey it. St Paulsays, “obey your parents in the Lord, ineverything”. According to Indian custom,the elder children get married first andleave the home and the youngest sonlooks after the parents. It is necessary tolook after your parents in their old agerather than leave them in an old-agehome, where they are lonely andsomeone else takes care of them. Theylooked after their children when youngand educated them, got them married,helped to look after the grandchildren. So

when they need companionship andlooking after, their children should dotheir duty and not abandon them to anold-age home.

There is much we can learn from theelders as they have a wonderful store ofpractical knowledge. They have seen somuch in life, so their word should not betaken lightly. Today the youngergeneration has so much knowledge fromthe Internet that they have a superioritycomplex. But elders will talk from theirstore of practical knowledge. I worked invery remote rural places, where farmerswho were not so highly educated would

say, “Today, we are poisoning the earthwith chemical pesticides.” That is nowproving true and the world is reverting toorganic farming.

We have to follow the Bible-given ways toget back to God and wisdom. Many ofour churches have started senior citizensfellowship. One group brings seniorcitizens to the centre for fellowship,meeting and a meal once a week.

Woman's Fellowship (Mother's Union) Silver Jubillee Conference 2008, East Kerala Diocese. Bishop Daniel putting shawl on membersaged over 80 to honour them.

A r t i c l e c o n t r i b u t e d b yDr Elizabeth Daniel, Kerala State,INDIA

INDIA

The garden always provides spiritual uplift. Photo: The Selwyn Foundation.

Connecting conversationsAs we grow older in larger numbers andapproach our later years, most of uswould like to know that we will beconsulted about what we want. Thishardly seems a novel suggestion.It is indeed fascinating that many of thosewho fund and plan for care to olderpeople cannot clearly show that theirmandate comes from older peoplethemselves. Many suggest that they knowwhat seniors want, or point to nationally-prescribed standards. Rarely, are centraland local government funders and ourhealth services challenged as to how theyhave established what older peoples’views are on what they need and whatfactors are important in leading a qualitylife. There is an opportunity to engage inconversation with older people. This isthe approach adapted by Waiapu AnglicanSocial Services Trust Board in its workwith older people in the Diocese ofWaiapu. The Diocese covers areas of theNorth Island of New Zealand and a teamof 500 staff and 500 volunteers support

NEW ZEALAND

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21,500 people every year. The Anglicanfamily is large and has both a rural andurban catchment with the majority of itsservices to seniors based in parish sites,in co-location and partnership with thelocal parish. This is the community-facingchurch in action – present and active in itsneighbourhood.We have five day-centres for seniorswhich provide a range of meaningfulactivities, companionship, learningopportunit ies and home-visit ingprogrammes. In addition, a team of nearly200 caregivers visit and support olderpeople in their homes. These caregiverssupport older people to attend to theirdaily activities and at the same timedevelop relationships with them.In 2006, we began a conversation witholder people and talked with them aboutwhat was important. They wrote to us,talked on the phone, attended meetingsand outlined what they needed to lead acomfortable life. The responses raised arange of key themes:

� soc ia l companionsh ip wasimportant. As older people werebereaved their family andfriendships decreased and manylived dislocated from survivingfamily.

� Older people wanted to be treatedwith respect and have autonomy.They wanted to be given choicesand options wherever it waspossible.

� People wanted to feel and retain asense of control and to be in chargeof what was happening and have anactive participation in decision-making.

� Older people also saw theirmobility as key to independence andthere was a real desire to haveaccess to good accessible andaffordable foot care and podiatryservices.

Whilst these were only some of the moreprominent themes, older people’s voiceswere heard and valued. Once theresearch was completed, we visited andengaged them to launch their ownresearch report at three differentlocations and invited health and otherfunders to attend and listen.We then moved to adopt these keythemes in our work as we planned newservices or refined existing ones.Examples of what this has meant in actioninclude the development of volunteer-visiting services where older people are

supported to build and re-establish newsocial networks and the inclusion of foot-care services for them. These servicesare extremely well-utilised.Our mandate from older people hasmade a real difference to us – what weare offering and thinking is informed bysenior views and is different to that wemay have otherwise considered. OurAnglican ethos calls us to embracediversity, respectfulness and to practiseinclusion. As a community-facing church,we have a significant role to play insupporting our elders. Working alongsideolder people builds on our skills andstrengths in hosting people, our pastoral-care talents and our local communityrelationships with our neighbours.We have an essential role to play. Withmore of us ageing, the need for us willonly grow.

Article contributed by LizAndrews, Chief Executive Officerof Waiapu Social Services TrustBoard and National Chairpersonof the Anglican Care Network,NEW ZEALANDFor full details of the research report seewww.waiapuanglicansocialservices.org.nz

with respect. Perhaps because in the pastall knowledge was acquired by word ofmouth or by example from the elders,they are very much valued and are anintegral part of the family unit. The familyunit in PNG societies extends beyond thenuclear family to include those three, fouror even more times removed. Elderlyparents/relatives’ houses are built in closeproximity to their children and otherrelatives, and these family memberscollectively take care of their own. Day-to-day caring is usually done bygrandchildren, ie fetching water andwood, cooking and providingcompanionship. This is an important

relationship, because in Papua NewGuinea societies, elders and children arevalued equally. Nowadays, as more and more adultchildren move to towns for employmentpurposes, in the majority of casesextended family members take on theresponsibility of caring for the parents,and nearly all those in town still maintainstrong emotional ties with theirparents/relatives as well as giving financialsupport. Many married children oftenmove their parent/s to live with them intowns if there is limited support in thevillage.In the Anglican community, the Mothers’Union movement has also added anotherdimension to the caring of the elderly.This gives emotional and spiritual supportwherever necessary visiting the elderly attheir homes. Because the elderly are welllooked after, the Mothers’ Unionmembers usually visit to pray and singhymns. So as people live longer and therefore ageincreasingly, Papua New Guineans can feelproud that theirs is one of the fewsocieties that values and takes care of theelderly based on their traditional customswith the added support of the Mothers’Union of the Anglican Church.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Artic le contr ibuted by EvaVickerman (Uwedo), Papua NewGuinea Church Partnership

Ageing in PNG – part of the community.

One of the legacies of the AnglicanChurch was the establishment of a healthservice that continues to service themajority of the Anglican communities. SoPapua New Guinea, like everywhere else,has to deal with a rising ageing populationdue to better health care. Most of the elderly in Papua New Guineaare free of the types of diseases andailments that affect the elderly in thewest. Their difficulties usually entailfading/loss of eyesight and failing physicalability. Even before this increase in lifeexpectancy, all older people were treated

Photo: Chris Luxton.

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Article contributed by MargaretE d w a r d s , M o t h e r s ' U n i o nDiocesan President, GloucesterDiocese, ENGLAND

ENGLAND

Mothers’ Union Project – OpenDoor Lunch Club for the ElderlyOur parish church is no different frommany in having a large proportion of thecongregation in the retirement-plus agebracket. In addition, our parish containsthe largest proportion of retirement andresidential care homes in the City ofGloucester. In 2000, it was decided to start a weeklyLunch Club for the many elderly andlonely folk living in our parish. Researchshowed that, although mothers andtoddlers were well catered for with manypre-school activities, there were very fewactivities locally for those of senior years.Thus the Open Door Lunch Club wascreated and launched one Thursday inMay. It began as a Mothers’ Union projectand to this day is still ‘owned’ by MU, butis considered very much a part of theOutreach Ministry of the parish church.The clergy promote the Lunch Clubwhen they do their follow-up visits afterfunerals and it has been a life-line to many,particularly widowers. Many of theoriginal diners are sadly no longer withus, either because they have died or have

gone into residential care. However, ournumbers remain steady, with almost 50on our books and on average 36attending every week. For many, it is thehighlight of their week, having anourishing hot meal and dessert, plus ahot drink and plenty of company – all fora reasonable charge. For those less ableto walk along to our Church Centre, weprovide transport. All the cooking, preparation of room andtables and washing-up is done by teams ofvolunteers, a few of whom are notMothers’ Union members. Of the dinersthemselves, fewer than half are membersof our congregation. Word spreads aboutthe wonderful meal provided at the localchurch on a Thursday and the Co-ordinator will be telephoned to book aplace for a new client. It is very much acommunity resource. In addition, ourbranch of Mothers’ Union has gainedseveral new members over the last fewyears as a result of people helping at theLunch Club. At Christmas time, a special meal is puton and the Lunch Club becomes a realcommunity venture with a choir from our

local primary school singing carols. In2006, the Christmas party was made evenmore special. The Mayor of Gloucester,herself a Mothers’ Union member and amember of our church, accepted theofficial invitation and joined in. The dinerswere thrilled to be able to inspect hergold chains at close quarters and to chatwith her over lunch.

Although the Lunch Club involves anenormous commitment from thevolunteers, it is a valuable service to theelderly and much appreciated. The dinersalways enjoy their meals and have beenknown to alter hospital appointments ifthese fall on a Thursday because they donot want to miss the social interaction, aswell as the food. We wish we were ableto offer the service on more than one dayper week. I am sure we would fill thetables every day.

One of the advantages that the Caribbeannations have enjoyed over the moredeveloped countries of the world is theculture of the extended family. In theWest Indies, many families consist notonly of parents and children but alsoinclude grandparents, aunts, uncles,cousins and even friends. In such a family,the grandparent or other aged relative isrevered and plays a very important role in

helping to nurturethe children and passon acceptable valuesto the youngergeneration. As theseseniors grow older,every effort is madeto make themcomfortable withinthe home and theyare lovingly cared foruntil death. To a largedegree, Caribbeanpeople believe that it isa blessing and aprivilege to personallytake care of one’sparents until theypass away, whereasto do otherwise is a“curse”. Thus thegrandparent or oldrelative holds a placeof honour in thehome as everyonetries to live up to

the fifth commandment – “Honour thyfather and thy mother…” Deut 5:6.

Unfortunately, however, the pressure ofmodern living has begun to weaken theextended family. The rising cost of livingmakes it necessary for everyone to seekemployment and unless the family canafford a care-giver, the aging parent is leftalone at home all day. Further, migrationis also taking its toll as young families are

moving away to “greener pastures”,sometimes leaving aging parents; andthough it is still not a widespread customfor families to abandon their elderlyrelatives, yet more and more olderpersons are being placed into homes forthe elderly or left to fend for themselves.

Further, because having homeless olderpersons among us has not been the normin the West Indies, governments and non-governmental organisations are ill-prepared for this, so that even thoughthere are homes for the elderly, they areeither too few or may not be of anacceptable standard.

The Mothers’ Union in the province, evermindful of its motto of caring for families,has observed the changes that are takingplace with regard to the care of theelderly and many groups have undertakenprojects that would help those who intheir golden years are affected by thistrend.

Such projects include visits to the elderlyto tend to their personal needs, readingto them, taking them to their doctors,doing their shopping, and rendering otherservices that would make their lives morecomfortable. On St Luke’s Day every year,special healing services are heldthroughout the province to which theelderly are bussed and at certain times ofthe year such as Mothering Sunday andChristmas, special programmes areorganised for the elderly and “shut-ins”.

St Philip's Mothers Union receiving cheque to help their ministry to seniors.

WEST INDIES

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Article contributed by Leila Austin,Mothers' Union Provincial President,Guyana, WEST INDIES

In Georgetown, Guyana, the members ofSt Aloysius Mothers’ Union werechallenged by their parish priest and hiswife to start a project at the ArchersHome for the Elderly. During their visit tothe home to administer the HolySacrament, Father Leslie and his wife sawthe need to enhance the appearance ofthat home and challenged the branch toassist by adopting one room. Thechallenge was willingly taken up, anddonations were sought from families andfriends. Soon gifts of paints, carpets,curtains, mattresses were obtained. Theyouths of the church volunteered to dothe painting, and in a short space of timethe Mothers’ Union of St Aloysius hadtransformed not one room but two.Other MU branches are now beingencouraged to adopt other rooms.

The members of St Philip’s Mothers’Union, Georgetown, are also involved ina project for the elderly. That project is aweekly “Meals on Wheels” programmewhich benefits 14 “shut-in” persons wholive either by themselves or in a home forthe elderly, but all of whom are in direneed of nutritious meals. The project was

conceived four years ago when theMothers’ Union of St Philip Churchrealised that many of its once activemembers were no longer attendingchurch and had become “shut-ins”. Visitswere paid to those members and theirliving conditions were assessed. It wasdiscovered that many lived on their own,either because they had no children ortheir children had migrated. Some lived infamilies but those families were very poorand could not take very good care ofthem; and some lived in poorly-runhomes for the elderly. It was at that pointthe Mothers’ Union, encouraged by theirparish priest, decided to set up a weeklyfeeding programme.

As a start, members donated cash, raisedfunds and sought donations from family,other church members and sympathisers.Thus in May 2005, the first batch of mealswas delivered to 12 persons, all “shut-in”members of the church. However, as theprogramme progressed, the MU realisedthat there were other persons who werenon-church members but who alsoneeded meals. At the moment, 50% ofthe beneficiaries are not members of

St Philip’s Church. Recently, a generouscash donation was received from theWorld Day of Prayer Committee, Suchdonations will help to make our dream ofexpansion a reality.

In Antigua, an island in the North EasternCaribbean, the feeding of the elderly and“shut-ins” is an ongoing project. Sixbranches are actively involved in theministry one day every week, contributing,preparing and transporting the meals. Theprogramme at All Saints has been going forover 12 years. The number of personsbenefiting from these programmes rangefrom 12 in the smaller branches to as manyas fifty people weekly in the larger ones.

By engaging in this ministry, the Mothers’Union in the Province of the West Indies isliving up to its motto “Christian Care forFamilies”.

CANADA

St Paul's Thunder Bay Anglican Church Women, who are mainly seniors themselves, host monthly "Come and Go" teas during thecold, bleak winter months to get seniors out of their homes and enjoy some companionship. Rides are provided, there is no charge,parishoners are encouraged to invite friends and dress up for themes such as in the St. Patrick's Day tea shown above.

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Seniors in Canada, as in many westerncountries, are living longer, and - thanksto a universally available government-funded health care system – live healthierand more active lives, often with somereplaced body parts such as artificial hipsor knees and heart or artery surgery.Gerontologists no longer speak ofseniors as a unitary group but classify ourelders as the young-old (ages 65-74), themiddle old (ages 75-84) and the oldestold (ages 85-95). Folks in the 85-95 agegroup are the fastest growingdemographic in Canada. Because of thesocial philosophy of Canadian society,

there is a large secular network ofsupports for seniors that range fromhealth care and housing to educational,recreational and social opportunities.

Most church congregations in Canada aresimilarly ageing, and indeed without “theseniors” many parishes would not beable to sustain themselves. This results ina need both for ministry to seniors andministry by seniors. Parishioners inCanadian churches serve on AdvisoryBoards, Finance Committees, AnglicanChurch Women outreach projects, andassist with worship as Choir members,

Lay Readers and Eucharistic Assistants intheir 70s, 80s, and indeed into their 90s.The wisdom of retired clergy iswelcomed as they join the parishministry team to serve as non-stipendiary Honorary Assistants wholead services, do pastoral visiting, takefunerals and teach daytime Bible studies.

Clergy, lay readers and parish visitorsroutinely visit elderly parishioners inhospital, nursing homes, seniors’residences, or in their own homes tobring communion, and to keep themconnected to the larger parish family bybringing the Sunday service bulletin, theParish Newsletter and share what ishappening in the lives of other membersof the parish. In large cities and smallercommunities, most clergy conduct amonthly Eucharistic Celebration in aparticular nursing home which isattended by all Anglicans in the facilityand often by seniors of otherdenominations. I fondly remember themonthly visits of my Girls’ AuxiliaryGroup to a city-run “Home for theAged” to which we brought cookies andour teenage enthusiasm to bring cheer tothe Anglican residents as well as theirroommates.

A relatively new ministry that has beengrowing in Canada since the 1980s, andwhich greatly benefits seniors, is that ofthe Parish Nurse. Parish Nursingencompasses the whole person in healthpromotion and in healing from illness in afaith context. As a member of the

seniors who fall through the cracks ofthe social service system. St John’s Parishin Peterborough has converted theirlarge rectory into housing for seniors. Anumber of churches, including St. Paul’sL’Amoreaux in Toronto, have donatedland and provided leadership to buildhousing for seniors adjacent to thechurch building. St Paul’s Seniors’ Centrenow includes a meals-on-wheelsprogramme, friendly visit ing, acounselling and referral service, homesupport service, and an exercise facility.

Individuals often make majorcontributions to the well-being ofseniors. In Ottawa, one woman wholoves to cook gathered a group of men tohelp and began “Muriel’s Kitchen” out ofher parish church. Once a week theyoffer a soup and sandwich lunch geared

Donations from the public are solicitedfor these and, in order to serve themaximum number of cases, a vast numberof volunteers are recruited to deliver theservices. Take an example of the HomeMaintenance Services. Granny Yeung was afrail and single-living elder residing in aremote Sheung Shui village house.Electric wirings in the house were allworn out with sockets fallen off – a firehazard. She relied solely on social securityand could not afford the cost of changingthe wires. In order to remove thepotential danger, the volunteers, who aretrained in home-maintenance andrenovation, changed all the wirings andsockets of the house and installed a newfuse box. A waterproof lamp was alsoinstalled on the external wall to facilitateGranny Yeung’s activities in the darknight. In addition, St James’ Settlementcontinues to actualise the principle ofactive-ageing in-services for the healthierand younger elders. Since 1979, theSettlement has pioneered services for the

retirees and established a Retired PersonAssociation. Retirement workshops,adjustment programmes and educationalactivities promote the concept of self-management and volunteering. In 2003,

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Article contributed by Dr CarolKnox, St Paul's Anglican Church,Thunder Bay, CANADA

ministry team, the Parish Nurse will visitseniors at home and in hospital and keepthe priest informed of their needs as wellas serve as an advocate to help seniorparishioners navigate their way throughthe health-care system. Theirintervention often secures a neededplace in a care facility. In addition, theParish Nursing Team presents workshopsthat promote holistic approaches ofbody, mind and spirit, and holds blood-pressure clinics after services. In manycongregations, the Parish Nurse is amember of the prayer team who prayswith people for healing at a side chapelwhile communion is being distributed atthe main Sunday service.

Some parishes and dioceses accept thegospel mandate to social justice byworking to meet specific needs of

to seniors, mainly widowers and widowswho enjoy the socialisation as much asthe meal.

Sr. Constance (see cover page) providesa wonderful example of the value ofelders. She has developed her owntheology of ageing. “The latter years ofour lives are given us by God to give Himthanks, to use our maturity, to use ourmanifold gifts because there’s no onemore varied than the elderly person.These years are not ours just to saltaway; they are ours to help leavensociety.” May we follow in her footsteps.

HONG KONG

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the Association was transformed into theRetired Person Volunteer Association with itsown premises. Members are encouragedand enabled to manage their associationand building and, at the same time,contribute their time and expertise inproviding volunteer services to deprivedpeople in the community. In 2008, the Settlement began to pilot aseries of Adventure-Based Counsellingprogrammes for elderly people. The aimis that through these the participantswould strengthen their confidence andesteem, improve their communicationskills and enhance their resilience. Theprogrammes are tailor-made for both frailand healthy elders, but the younger andhealthier among them are expected tobecome volunteers and serve thecommunity in return.

St James’ Settlement There is a significant difference ineducation background and livingstandards between different cohorts ofelderly people in Hong Kong. In 2007,over 0.18 million aged 60 or above arereceiving social security allowance (17%of the elderly population). Statistics alsoshow that 80% of those over 65 years areplagued by one or more chronic diseases.In comparison, those soon-to-be-old(aged 45-59 years) are more educatedand financially more viable. Over 50% ofthem have secondary school education orabove, whereas 78.7% of those aged over60 have primary school education orbelow. More of the younger group havesome kind of retirement protection,compared to around 16% of those agedover 60. The government funding, though stable,cannot catch up with the increasingelderly population and the needs arisingfrom it. There are a lot of destitute andfrail elders living in the community, whoseneeds of basic and tangible support arenot met by the existing welfare services.Meanwhile, there are manyyounger and healthier elders whoare in search of an active andproductive aging. Elderly service projects of theSt James’ SettlementSt James’ Settlement, founded byBishop R.O. Hall of the AnglicanChurch in 1949, has developedelderly services since 1967.Although most of these are nowsubsidised by the Government, StJames’ Settlement has pioneeredvarious charity services to fill theservice gaps for the destitute andsick elders. These services include:Electrical Appliances for the EldersProgramme, Home Maintenance Services,Funeral Navigation Service, Home UseMedical Equipment Support Programme,and Kin Chi Dementia Support Centre.

Article contributed by DavidFung, Senior Manager ContinuingCare Ser v ices , S t J ames ’Settlement, HONG KONG

Granny Yeung and the volunteers in front of the village house.

Joining the Adventure-Based Counselling programme and buildingconfidence.

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Anglican Retirement Kampong (ARK)The Anglican Retirement Kampong(village), commonly known as ARK, is thefirst Diocesan community/welfare projectfor the elderly. The idea of a retirementhome was first conceived in the 1970s bythe late Bishop Luke Chhoa inanticipation for the Diocesan clergy’sretirement. The plan for a home for theelderly was later developed by CanonFred David of Christ Church Likas inMarch 2001. The PCC of Christ Churchadopted the plan and named the project“A Touch of Home”. By November 2001,the Diocesan Standing Committeeapproved the RM500000 project and agrant was given to Christ Church tospearhead the development. The projectwas later revised to RM1.4 million withsome modification by adding a two-storeybuilding and another administrative

MALAYSIA

Dining room, administrative building, ARK.

Age Celebration: Elizabeth on her 100th birthday.

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building. A loan from the Conference ofChurches of East Asia was secured tomeet the shortfall.

Upon approval from the localdevelopment authorities, the ground-breaking ceremony was held inDecember 2002 by the Bishop of Sabahand Primate of South East Asia, The MostRevd Yong Ping Chung. The wholeproject was renamed AnglicanRetirement Kampong (ARK). After twoand a half years, the newly-built complexcomprising a 12-room/24-beds Residents’Building, an Administrative building andWarden’s House was completed in 2004and dedicated in June by the Archbishop.

The ARK began operation in January2005 with five residents which grewsteadily to 23 residents at the point ofwriting. Three applicants are on a waiting

list. Due to a growing demand for suchservice, the Management Committeeproceeded with the Phase 2 (Expansion)of ARK, comprising a ten-room building.The Standing Committee approved theproject in July 2008 and granted a loan.Due to the economic crisis, the tenderedcosts have escalated and the developmentand building plans now await the localauthority’s approval.

We praise God for the growth of thisministry. The ARK has received muchpraise from churches and communityalike. It is praised as the best-cared Homefor the elderly in the city, the best facilitywith the most committed team of care-givers. We thank God for the Wardenand his team of dedicated staff. We alsothank all the others on the Board ofManagement and the Building Committeefor their commitment and service inovercoming all the challenges.

The ARK now functions as a retirementhome and also offers limited nursing care.Its mission is to enhance the social,physical and spiritual well-being of seniorcitizens. It is also designed to provide a safe, comfortable, and scenicenvironment to the residents. Theactivities include morning and eveningdevotions, Bible study, birthdaycelebrations, outings, senior citizensfellowship and Sunday worship at ChristChurch Likas. All glory to God.

Contact Person, The Warden,ARK, Sabah, MALAYSIA

SCOTLANDFaith in Older PeopleOn a global scale the small nation ofScotland has much to be thankful for. Welive in peace, in relative prosperity and withfree access to healthcare services. A babyborn in Scotland today can expect to liveuntil she is almost 80 if a girl, and almost 75if a boy. In a population a little over fivemillion in 2007, there were 710 people whowere over 100 years old. However, withina positive big picture there are manyproblems. In deprived areas, life expectancycan be reduced by almost 20 years and, withan ageing population, over 65,000 peoplesuffer from dementia and most of thesepeople live alone or with an elderly partner.Like many countries in Western Europe,church attendance is falling quite rapidly andmany churches are attended predominantlyby older people. This is seen as a problemby many people who fear for the survival ofthe church as older members become more

infirm and die. Within a general context ofgrowing fear and negativity about ageing,Faith in Older People (FiOP) was an initiativebegun three years ago by a group ofAnglicans in Edinburgh to celebrate theprocess of ageing, to recognise thecontribution that older people have madeto our society and many still continue tomake and to rejoice in their lives of faith andservice.Recognising the large number ofcongregations who have many older peoplein their midst, we see this not so much as a‘problem’ but rather as an opportunity.These congregations are incredibly rich inexperience and faith and we welcome andsupport them and wish to honour them.FiOP is now spreading out from Edinburghto work in different parts of Scotland,supporting and encouraging churches asthey value their older members and,

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working with them, we seek to find newways of understanding and nurturing thespiritual lives and experiences of olderpeople. This becomes even more importantwhen age or frailty prevents people fromattending their church and when illness,pain, loss and the death of loved ones leavespeople more isolated and perhaps morefearful for the future.FiOP is working to find ways ofencouraging the spiritual welfare of olderpeople if, or when, they leave their ownhome and move into some form ofresidential care. We know that many carersin our increasingly secular society are at aloss to understand or address people’s

spiritual needs and so we are active in tryingto bring to the fore a greater understandingof what it is that gives meaning and purpose,hope and significance to people as theyenter the final stages of their life. Werecognise that although many people maynot regard themselves as being ‘religious’,there is an almost universal appreciation ofthe need to love and be loved, to ‘keep ourspirits up’ and to face the future with hoperather than with despair.FiOP is about our faith in them and in whatthey have achieved and continue tocontribute to others and it is also aboutrecognising the faith which sustains so manypeople as they journey through life and have

to cope with so many setbacks. Our smallorganisation has been enormouslyencouraged by people’s response to ourwork and we face the future withconsiderable confidence and hope as weseek ways of maintaining and nurturing thatfaith and spirit if the ‘problems’ of agethreaten to suffocate the joys of lives offulfilment, service and generous self-giving.

Article contributed by MalcolmGoldsmith, Faith in Older People(FiOP), SCOTLAND. www.faithinolderpeople.org.uk

A r t i c l e c o n t r i b u t e d b y Mrs Sylvia Venables, Buenos Aires,ARGENTINA

ARGENTINA

BABS is the British and AmericanBenevolent Society which was set up totake care of those who, in their old age,needed help in Argentina. BABS has beenproviding this caring service since 1880and is a home for senior citizens in thecapital, Buenos Aires. Most of the peoplethere are descendents of English-speakingimmigrants, whose first language is stillEnglish, even though many were second,third or fourth generation of those bornin Argentina.

Christian services are held each Sunday inthe home. The first Sunday of the monthis led by an Anglican minister and theother Sundays by RC, Presbyterian andCommunity church leaders and it struckme that there might be a positiveresponse to an offer of somethingdevotional during the week.

Our little group began in April 2002 andabout ten ladies attended. We were givena small room and, as many were inwheelchairs, it took a long time to settleeveryone in. Since then, we have beengiven a larger area called the WinterGarden where there is a lot more space.

As I travel quite a lot,two other leaders haveemerged, Rosemary andWinnie, and between uswe lead the devotionalhour each Wednesdaymorning.We begin with a prayeror psalm and then ashortened MorningPrayer, followed by areading from a book,finishing with prayers,then other relevantreadings. There is a verygood atmosphere andsome of the ladies chip infrom time to time, butmost of the time theyseem hungry to listen

and learn. The emphasis is always on Godbeing our Creator and that He loves usand sent his son Jesus to save us and makeit possible to be reconciled with Him, andthat each one of us is called to have apersonal relationship with Him. Each ofthe readings is explained in a simplemanner and it has been very encouragingover the years to see how some of theladies have understood the gospel for thefirst time.

Mary, one of the ladies who attended thefirst meeting, eventually gathered all herfamily round her bed the week she diedand radiantly said goodbye to them all.Another, Elizabeth, who used to come fora cigarette (the Winter Garden is also thesmoking area) and listen behind a pillarbecame so interested that she began toattend. She once rang me up the nightbefore I was visiting the UK to thank mefor the group and she said she nowunderstood the gospel. When I returnedsix weeks later, she had died. Once whenI was in the Recovery Unit, visitingsomeone who was ill, another lady waslooking on with great interest.Afterwards I went to say “hello” and

asked her if she’d like a prayer. Shelooked terrified and said “no thanks”, so Ijust kissed her forehead and blessed herin the name of Jesus. Next week shewatched again. The third time, sheaccepted my offer of a prayer and onceshe had returned to her own room shelooked forward to my weekly visits. Shehad been brought up as a ChristianScientist and for many years had sufferedwith a serious illness and was in denialand very confused. She seemed to be atpeace with God when she eventually died.

I also encourage the regulars to use theirgifts with each other in the home. Lilynow goes and gives goodnight hugs tosome who need it. Four of the presentladies meet three times during the weekto read the Bible and pray together.Elvina gathers people together for ourWednesday devotional hour. (Some needconstant reminders as many are sufferingfrom short-term memory loss). Somewith dementia thoroughly enjoy the hourbut then of course have to be remindedagain the following week. Nora haslearned Psalm 23 by heart for the firsttime in her life. She has given a copy toher son and now encourages him to dothe same. Hilda enjoys the hour so muchthat she sometimes refuses to go to herexercise class which overlaps. Katherinereads to people who can’t see wellenough.

Out of my original ten regulars, only twoare still alive. Over the last seven years atleast 50 ladies have attended our littledevotional hour, many who are now inglory. I have been privileged to be able topray with some in their dying momentsand I look forward to be being reunitedwith them one day.

Senior Devotion. Photo: Ronnie Watson, BABS.

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Article contributed by The RevCanon Dr Julia Perry, AnglicanC a r e C h a p l a i n , N S W ,AUSTRALIAwww.selwyncare.org.nz

NEW ZEALAND

Centre for ageing and spiritualityJim attends communion once a week athis wife’s dementia unit. He says this is hisway of connecting with her now that herdementia is so advanced. Although shecannot say so, she seems to find relevancein the Eucharistic ritual.Mary has been a caregiver in agedresidential care for many years. Shegrieves each time one of her belovedresidents moves on to a higher level ofcare or dies. Although she says she isused to it, sometimes she feelsoverwhelmed by the constant losses.The occupational therapist in the olderpeople’s mental health unit is frustratedby the lack of attention paid to the needfor older people to live in a meaningfulway. She feels the dominant “medicalmodel” ignores people’s spiritual needs.Joan has been unable to get to churchrecently because of poor eyesight andincontinence. The minister rarely visits.She feels isolated and deserted after alifetime of Christian service.Older people and those who care forthem are often faced with challenges of aspiritual kind.In health and aged-care services, staff areoften too busy or feel incompetent orthat they are overstepping boundaries inattempting to address older people’sspiritual needs. Yet the older people intheir care need help to transcendsuffering and make meaning of their livesas death approaches. Churches can feel overwhelmed by thesheer number of older people in theircongregations. Often members lackexpertise in dealing with the problemsthat beset their elders; deafness, chronicpain, dementia, immobility. It can bedifficult to include people who aredisabled in congregational life. Yet theseare the people most at risk of socialisolation who most need the support ofthe body of Christ.Like the rest of the developed world,

New Zealand isexperiencing anincrease in thenumbers of olderpeople both Maoriand Pakeha (thoseo f E u r o p e a nancestry). The vastmajority, (87% agedover 65) affiliatewith a Christiandenomination. Wec a n a n t i c i p a t eincreased ethnic andreligious diversity asa r e s u l t o fimmigration, and the

baby boomers now in their 50s and 60swill have different spiritual needs fromtheir parents.

Government health and welfare policiespromote “wellbeing” and “holistic care”,both defined as having a spiritual element.For Maori, “taha wairua” the spiritual sideof health, is vital – along with physical,emotional and social wellbeing. However,despite acknowledgement of theimportance of spirituality, for many olderpeople, there is little attention paid tomeeting the need.

The Selwyn Centre for Ageing andSpirituality was set up in 2008 to educate,research and advocate in this field.Education is not just for Christians orthose with a religious background.Health-care workers are a diverse lot,often more secular than their elders. Theparticipants in a recent workshopappreciated the opportunity to re-evaluate their own lives and recognise thespiritual part of their identity, so easilylost in a busy helping environment. Peoplespoke of becoming aware of ways toremain tranquil yet sensitive to thepeople in their care. From recognising thechanges in themselves with ageing andtheir own spiritual journeys, they felt

more able to be open with others in theirsituations. We hope to have coursesrunning specifically for religiousorganisations by 2010.For people wanting an academicchallenge, Charles Sturt University(Australia) offers distance-learning inAgeing and Pastoral Studies and theSelwyn Centre is coordinating andsupporting New Zealanders wishing todo the Certificate, Diploma or Masterscourses. In September 2009, we are hosting theInternational Conference on Ageing andSpirituality with key-note speakers fromUSA, Scotland and Australia. TheConference has discovered several NewZealand researchers dealing with aspectsof spirituality and ageing. Even in oursmall country (population four million),we are often unaware of exactly whatresearch is going on. Our own literaturereview showed a dearth of research onageing Maori and spirituality, men’sspirituality, and the needs of formal andfamily caregivers. We are funding twoscholarships for students wishing topursue research in ageing and spiritualityand will commission research in the area.

Advocacy comeswith education andresearch. If havingsp i r i tua l needs met keeps peoplehealthy (as overseasresearch suggests),then the Governmentmay be interested, inthe face of the ageingpopu la t ion . Anelectronic forum,recently launched will,hopefully, facilitateconcerted action.Raising awarenessand educating staffin the health and

aged-care services can u l t imate lyimprove the quality of care elders receive. Older people living at Selwyn Village(where the Centre is situated) have beenmost helpful in sharing their ideas andgiving advice, both formally as an advisorygroup and also as members of a groupthat meets to discuss issues pertaining tospirituality and to educate me, asDirector of The Selwyn Centre.

Photo: The Selwyn Foundation.People always want to be helpful.

Photo: The Selwyn Foundation.Relationships remain important.

The views of individual contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the International Anglican Family Network.

Vis it the Family Network website: www.iafn.net

A PRAYER FOR CARERS OFOLDER PEOPLE

FATHER OF ALL We pray for families, neighbours

and churcheswho gently encourage theirmembers of senior years

to be as independent as possible;who help the elderly to take part asmuch as they can in family, church

and community life;who give personal, ongoing and

sacrificial care to their frail, sick ordependent elderly members;

Grant them, and to all who servethe elderly voluntarily or

professionally, at home or centre,warmth and patience, confidence

and strength;Through Jesus Christ our Lord,grandson of Anne and Joachim.

Amen

Revd John Bradford

THE NEXT FAMILY NETWORK

NEWSLETTER is on the subject of

Death and the Family

IAFN ADDRESSC/o Anglican Communion Office,

St Andrew’s House, 16 Tavistock Crescent,

Westbourne Park, London W11 1AP, ENGLAND

email: mail@iafn.netTel: +44 (0)7948 332697

International Anglican Family NetworkIAFN

Anglican Care, the Diocese ofNewcastle.Every Eucharist I give the valediction: “Goin Peace to love and serve the Lord”. Formany years in parish ministry I said thiswith what was meant to be anencouraging volume for witness beyondthe church walls. Ministry in a residentcommunity which is entirely frail-aged,challenges my urging to evangelism.Anglican Care has 650 staff and facilitieson several sites which care for 1,000residents. About 50% of the residentshave some Christian faith experience; thevast majority are in very frail physicalhealth, and many have some dementia.“Go in peace...” is now more of anentreaty to liberation, though still anencouragement, especially for those whocan’t hear or understand the words. A100th birthday is not especially unusualand many residents’ families live hoursaway. Spiritual care does of courseinclude the sacraments and scriptures.However for the high-care residents we

are exploring ways of ‘lifting their spirits’as well as ways in which we might lift thespirits of the families around them:Soul Food: We all need spiritualnourishment, and many of us havechoices about time for meditation andstyle of spiritual belief and expression.This is no longer true for our high-careresidents. So we are beginning aprogramme which is to provide somechoices about spiritual nurture and alsoto stimulate the residents’ senses (excepttaste – that is too risky) and appreciationof their own worth. In parish worship, thepresider leads the congregation fromsong to words to symbols at thepresider’s pace and choosing. While wecan make some adjustments for variousfrailties at Anglican Care, the service is notequally accessible to all present – andchoice, so lacking in their lives, is againnot available. Soul Food will be of shortduration and include audiovisual andtangible chances to explore God’s worldaccording to themes.Small decorated boxes which for a seatheme might include sand, shells, starfish,seaweed (fresh would provide awonderful aroma!) would be given toeach resident while scenes of wavescrashing/rippling are accompanied byrecordings of the sea, sea gulls, shipshorns. Themes could be Australian bushand birds, kitchen/cooking, men’s shed,children, church. In each instance, thereand will also be an opportunity to includebrief and familiar scriptures and poetry.

Each ‘session’ will begin and end with thesame pieces of music which will befamiliar hymns – e.g. Amazing Grace, 23rdPsalm.I would hope that where families mightvisit, they could sit with their loved one,hum the tunes, explore the boxes withthem; and in time feel easier themselvesto sit and share tangible, aromatic,audible and visual memories inspired bytheir own knowledge of cherished familyhistory and reminiscences. Wherever Soul Food opens avenues forresidents to wonder at God’s creation,wonder at their place in it, andencourages their families to share thosespiritual times of nourishment, God isworshipped.

Soul Food: objects to touch and smell rekindle memories.

AUSTRALIA

Contact Person: The ReverendCanon Dr Julia Perry, AnglicanCare Chaplain, C/o AnglicanCare, Toronto Rd, Booragul NSW2284, AUSTRALIAwww.anglicancare.com.au