Aging Gracefully
Spiritual Care for Aging Adults
by
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What is the secret to aging gracefully? We cannot turn back the hands of time or drink from a fountain of youth? How can we assist aging adults to enjoy their “Golden Years?” Aging is an inevitable process and it has its challenges. The immortal actress Bette Davis is right, “Old age is not for sissies.” What can Pastors, Deacons, Physicians, Administrators, Clergy, Nurses, Social Workers, Health Aides, Recreational Therapist, Geriatric Workers, Hospice Clinicians, and Caregivers do to comfort and strengthen aging adults? How can we help our elderly patients, neighbors, parents, church members or loved one’s age gracefully? What can we do to give them a sense of peace, love and joy?
Aging Gracefully: Spiritual Care for Aging Adults provides the spiritual knowledge and tools needed to care for seniors. It is an excellent resource for Chaplains, Pastors, Healthcare providers and caregivers as they serve the aged and the terminally ill. It provides practical information and spiritual coping skills needed to address the exigencies of aging adults. It was written for everyone who cares for seniors or want to know how to age gracefully.
The first Chapter educates us on the Spirituality of Aging Adults and the differences between religion and spirituality. The better we understand the spirituality of aging adults, the better we can serve them.
The second Chapter shares the various Spiritual Assessments available for clergy, healthcare providers and caregivers. A Spiritual Assessment is vital to discovering the spiritual needs and concerns of aging adults. Also, caregivers must ask certain reflective questions to learn about the faith of their love one.
The third Chapter tells us how to give Spiritual Care to aging adults. Logo therapy, Listening, Life Review, Learning and Love are the spiritual tools required to help them to age gracefully.
The fourth Chapter informs us on how to develop a Spiritual Care Support Group. The purpose of a Spiritual Care Group is to allow aging adults the opportunity to learn and express their feelings, thoughts and concerns in a non-judgmental, nurturing environment. Various discussion topics like: Carpe Diem, Stroll down Memory Lane, Hope, Peace of Mind, How to Forgive, Positive Thinking, Aging Gracefully and others will create a lively conversation and enhance their learning. The Spiritual Care Support Group can be especially useful in a PACE center, Church, Nursing Home or assisted living setting.
The fifth Chapter was written to inform and inspire aging adults to overcome the challenges of the aging process. Practicing Spiritual Values: Peace, Faith, Hope, Love, Joy and Grace will enhance their spiritual growth and development. These universal virtues are the secret to aging gracefully.
Finally, Chapter six was written to encourage clergy, healthcare providers and caregivers to take care of themselves. Caring for the elderly can be physically and emotionally exhausting and lead to burn out. It is critical that everyone use spiritual coping skills to ensure their spiritual and emotional health.
We are not victims of aging, sickness, and death. We can choose to age gracefully. It is up to us to choose how we will respond to the aging process. We could surrender to our pain, suffering and loss. Or we can look inward and discover the grace in our souls, love in our hearts and peace of mind.
Aging gracefully is the transformation and beautification of the soul through the acceptance and application of spiritual values.
Aging gracefully is an inside job. It is a spiritual inner transformation that empowers us to choose joy over sorrow and hope over despair. It is a positive perspective that appreciates life with all its unpredictability, vulnerabilities, and disabilities. Aging gracefully is a manifestation of the soul that is at peace with life and with God.
Betty Friedan is right, “Aging is not lost in youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” Every day we get up in the morning is another opportunity to empower ourselves and others to age gracefully. Let us not waste time, crying, complaining and procrastinating. Let us seize the day, enjoy life, and love one another. Let us appreciate the wisdom, experience, gifts and spirituality of aging adults. Let us give them their flowers now while they can smell them and enjoy the fragrance.
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About the Book
Aging Gracefully: Spiritual Care for the Aging Adults is an excellent resource for pastors, chaplains, social workers, nurses, physicians, geriatric workers, health aides, and caregivers who serve aging adults. It provides information on how to conduct a spiritual assessment, render spiritual care, develop a spiritual care group for aging adults and spiritual self-care tips for caregivers and healthcare providers. This is a must-read for everyone who is caring for an elderly person who wants to age gracefully.
“Reverend White has crafted a valuable guide for helping caregivers learn how to engage in meaningful spiritual dialogue with aging adults, so they may reflect on their own life and purpose.”
—Mary Kummer Naber, President/CEO, PACE Southeast Michigan
“Dr. White’s contribution will serve as a welcome reference resource to those dedicated to the loving care of the elderly.”
—Rev. Dr. Kenneth E. Harris, President, Ecumenical Theological Seminary, Senior Pastor, Detroit Bible Tabernacle
“There is no doubt that this book will impact all who read it whether an aging adult, personal caregiver or healthcare providers who have chosen caring for this population as their calling.”
—Gwendolyn Graddy-Dansby, M.D., F.A.C.P. Medical Director, PACE Southeast Michigan
“Dr. White skillfully and succinctly describes the existential needs of the elderly in this simple, but spectacular read. Summarizing empirical research, quotes from the brilliant, vast personal experience, and alliterative aids, he provides a comprehensive guide for primary spiritual care for both families and professional caregivers.”
—Evan Fonger, M.D., PACE Southeast Michigan
“Dr. Samuel White, III has authored a comprehensive yet practical handbook for health care professionals and even family members caring for aging adults.”
—Sue Hammel, RN, BSN, PACE Southeast Michigan, Director of Operations- West
“As a social worker for PACE, I highly recommend this book to my co-workers, friends, family members who work in the health care industry.”
—Linda Bazzy, LMSW, PACE Southeast Michigan
“Aging Gracefully tells how a positive spiritual or religious attitude can enhance the aging process and a support group.”
—M. McBride, Coordinator, Senior/Retiree Program
About the Author
Dr. Samuel White, III is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, Professor of the Ecumenical Theological Seminary, and Spiritual Care Coordinator of the PACE of Southeast Michigan which cares for over 700 seniors. Moreover, Dr. White was a hospice chaplain for over 20 years serving the terminally ill and their families. Dr. White has spent his professional life doing ministry for the aged, dying, underprivileged, and the spiritually and emotionally challenged. He is a “doctor of souls” who addresses spiritual illness with biblical scholarship and pastoral sensitivity. His seven books are available online or his website drsamuelwhite.com.