You may download a printable copy of this article from the March 2005 Gospel Advocate in MSWord or PDQ.
Assessing the Spiritual Needs of the Aged
Far too little is known about the human spirit than is known today about the physical body and the mind. The way we age physically continues to receive massive attention in the field of medicine, especially drug development for physical and mental wellbeing. There is also a spiritual side to aging that needs addressing for it is far more important and long lasting than the physical side of life. Just as our bodies and minds change with age, so do our spirits. It is easy to dismiss these facts by saying the spiritual needs of individuals remain the same regardless of age. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to live past 70 know differently. The issues of the spirit increase in importance the closer we come to our time to die.
By looking around one can tell the church population is increasingly aging. In just six more years the first baby-boomers will start retiring and in twenty years when these baby-boomers finally mature there will be twice as many people over 65 as there will be teenagers. Today in America we have more than 70,000 centenarians; in two years there will be 100,000 and in twenty years there will be two million. Our nation is currently expecting the government to have solved the future care requirements of this group through changes in Social Security; Medicare, and other aged related social issues. Are we in the church equipped to meet the spiritual needs of senior adults now and preparing for the greater influx in a few years?
The spiritual needs of the aged may be arranged into three categories: direct, ancillary, and special. The direct needs are the most basic and are shared by every Christian; these are belief, salvation, knowledge, worship and the need to propagate the faith. Ancillary needs include the capacity to love and be loved, encouragement, fellowship, companionship, nourishment, mental and physical exercise, resources for sustenance, recognition, acceptance, leadership, participation, accomplishment and preparation for when life ends. Special needs of the aged are those applicable to some individuals and only at certain points in later life and include transportation, assisted care, nursing care, assurance, counseling, and the acknowledgment of the value of life to the end. These categories have many sub-divisions and are both interrelated and interdependent. Ones’ continuing relationship with God, Jesus and fellow Christians determines the importance or value we place upon these perceived and desired spiritual needs and how we may meet, handle or receive them.
The following acrostic has been offered to express the sum of the spiritual needs of older Christians:
“S - Spiritual
belief system,
P - Personal
spirituality,
I - Integration with
a spiritual community,
R - Ritualized
practice and restrictions,
I - Implications for
medical care,
T - Terminal event
planning.”
(Ambuel, B. and D. E. Weissman. Fast Fact and Concept #19: Taking a spiritual history. End of Life Education Project. http://www.eperc.mcw.edu/, 1999.)
Churches in the last two or three decades have recognized the spiritual needs of young people and have proposed meeting those needs with youth ministers, specialized programs, Bible Camps, Lads to Leaders and Leaderettes programs, and other means. Only now are many congregations beginning to recognize the spiritual needs of its older members and to devote manpower, funds and space for meeting these needs.
Direct Spiritual Needs
In the church the direct spiritual needs of young and old are usually met on a regular basis through corporate worship and Bible classes. The Word is preached to induce or enhance belief which leads to obedience and salvation from past sins. Sermons as part of worship, gospel meetings, seminars and Bible classes are used to increase knowledge and sustain faith. Prayers, offerings and fellowship are integral spiritual acts of worship. These may assist in the propagation of the faith along with our personal efforts to take the gospel to the people of the world.
We place great importance on life, as such; however Jesus said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” Mark 8:35. The basis for meeting all spiritual needs is to find our life in Christ, nurture it in His church, and reproduce it through the gospel message. To some, to accomplish this in a lifetime is to have spiritual needs met. For others, additional needs of a spiritual nature are wanting. These needs are identified under the next two headings.
Ancillary Spiritual Needs
The capacity to love and be loved is an innate human desire and ability. I John 3:14 and 4:19. Acceptance of the aging process by family, friends and caregivers requires unconditional love. An early copy of this article was sent to the caregiver of a 102 year old Christian lady for comment and evaluation and an e-mail reply received included the statement that, “the need to love and be loved grows keener with age” and that the love she has been shown is a major reason she has lived so long.
Age enhances encouragement when it is received from fellow Christians. Encouragement is that validation of faith (2 Tim. 1:12) which emboldens and supports the things believed and practiced throughout life. When shared or expressed with others it solidifies hope (Heb. 10:23) and confidence and is an important element in daily living.
It goes without saying that one needs fellowship with God (John 17:3). As we get older we need more fellowship with other saints (Rom. 12:15) and on a continual basis. Fellowship implies joint interaction, to be in the crowd, among others, doing things with other people; things sometimes difficult to accomplish for the aged with walkers and canes but doable with thought.
On the other hand, companionship implies closeness not obtainable in a crowd. The great scourge of old age is loneliness by no interaction with others nearest to us or by the absence of activity with someone—family member, close friend, grandchildren. To be an associate of an aged saint brings oneself closer to the Father.
Some defined needs are both spiritual and physical in nature and such is the need for nourishment. Both the spirit and the body need food. It is difficult to feed the mind if the body is malnourished. Programs offering balanced meals on a regular basis to those who are not physically able to prepare them are recognition of the needs of the body.
As the body and mind should be fed, so should both mental and physical exercise be available (Heb. 5:14). Provide opportunities to use and learn the tools to meet life’s challenges of keeping mentally and physically fit. Such can transcend the circumstances of social position and allow for a personal dignity and produce a sense of worthiness. From walking trips to computer classes, the aged need encouragement to engage in many avenues to keep active, staving off diseases of the mind and body.
Not everyone prepares for the future by careful financial planning and thereby places themselves in a position to need resources for sustenance (I Tim. 5:4 and 9). Churches may find it awkward to provide financial services to meet this need but Christian individuals can offer their expertise to assist. Churches can take up the slack by benevolent acts when families are unable to comply.
Legitimate recognition is a great moral booster among the aged. People like to be recognized for what they have accomplished and what they are able to do. Prior to retirement year’s recognition may be received in the work place, public service, civic programs and other venues but after these years can be seriously lacking for the aged. For an example of recognition for the hobbies of older Christians check this URL: http://www.grannywhitechurch.com/gt/Hobbies%20Folder/HobbyPage.htm.
There are many facets to the needs of senior adults in the area of acceptance. There is need to accept ones own mortality, to accept loss of loved ones and close friends, to be accepted intergenerationally by both family and others, and to accept the things in later life that cannot be changed. The ways to meet these needs is often better stated than accomplished: provision for discussion and implementation will go a long way toward successfully meeting them.
The aging process does not necessarily diminish the leadership ability of older saints. Churches should recognize this and continue to use senior adults by providing opportunities for them to teach, lead discussion groups, lead singing, lead prayer or serve in various capacities of leadership. This participation gives them a feeling of accomplishment and self worth.
There is need for churches to assist their aging members to prepare for when life ends. This preparation should include both grief management, when family members and close friends die, and for the inevitable conclusion of ones own life (Heb. 9:27). Help might be needed with hospice assistance and even funeral arrangements.
Special Spiritual Needs
The arbitrary classification of “Special Spiritual Needs” is required for those areas of senior adult assistance that are less spiritual and more temporal but nonetheless important. They may even be necessary to meet the more defined spiritual needs.
Perhaps the most emotionally charged subject in this area is the fact that there will come a time in every long lived life when the car keys have to be given up and dependence upon others for transportation arrives. Older adults are safe drivers, but medical conditions, medication and slower response time overshadow the sense of independence older driver’s cherish and transportation becomes an issue. Churches can solve this problem by bus or van routes, car pools, and scheduling spiritual and social activities with these needs in mind. A booklet on how to conduct family conversations with older drivers is available free from www.thehartford.com/talkwitholderdrivers.
An increasing need that should include the spiritual aspect is in the areas of Assisted Living, nursing care, and counseling. With extended life spans everyone faces the potential need for these services. The role of the church should be to encourage when required, to enable when needed, to assure from Scripture and by action, and to sustain through the end. "Genuine assurance naturally leads to a legitimate and abiding peace and joy, and to love and thankfulness to God; and these from the very laws of our being to greater buoyancy, strength, and cheerfulness in the practice of obedience in every department of duty." (http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/dictionaries/). For those responsible for assisting we recommend the booklet At the Crossroads: A Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia and Driving. The Guide, the accompanying worksheets and “Warning Signs” may be obtained free at www.thehartford.com/alzheimers. Through meeting special spiritual needs we acknowledge the value of life to the end.
Additional resources on aging may be found at many locations on the Internet.
The Granny White Church of Christ has an extensive web site called “Gran-Timers” where a complete program of spiritual, social and fellowship activities is outlined and illustrated. Go to www.grannywhitechurch.com/gt and click on the many areas displayed including an organization chart, publications showing activities conducted and planned, and links for many senior adult web sites of value. Of special interest may be the section on Aging that contains a free downloadable form for “Assessing Individual Spiritual Needs” and a form to “Assessing Caregiver Recipient’s Spiritual Needs”.
Ernest Clevenger
Nashville, TN
clevengerea@comcast.net