What the papers said in the week ending 19 September 2020 Three matters of direct connection with Christianity in the UK attracted headlines this week: Archbishop Justin Wellby and Bishop Sarah Mullally wrote in favour of giving strength and opportunity to local activities – a balance against the centralisation of so many things in this country and internationally. With size and distance, humanity and sensitivity is lost – and is not always the best economic model. A very welcome stance for … [Read more...]
Losing control
What the papers said in the week ending 12 September 2020 We have the extraordinary setting that our country’s government is prepared to flaunt international law https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/sep/09/brexit-bill-northern-ireland-criticised-as-obvious-breach-of-international-law https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/sep/08/government-admits-new-brexit-bill-will-break-international-law The Corona Virus pandemic is breaking new territory as the number of new … [Read more...]
NEW PUBLICATION
Reflections during a Pandemic Like all of us, Christians on Ageing has been deeply concerned about both the physical and the spiritual care of older people during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Our new booklet, Reflections during a pandemic: Covid-19 in 2020, contains a series of articles on how society has viewed the care of older people during the current crisis, and what churches and Christian organisations (including Methodist Homes) have been doing and what they can learn to do better in … [Read more...]
A week for thoughtfulness and not giving in, or up.
What the papers have said. Week ending September 5th What was lost: A small painting which had been donated to the Ashmolean in 1951 has lingered sadly in the basement since 1981 when it was dismissed as a fake by the Rembrandt Research Project. Careful review by determined experts, using new technology has revealed that the painting is on wood which comes from the same tree as at least two other established masterpieces by the great artist. ‘Fake’ no more … [Read more...]
Any other business: the rest of life
What the papers said in the week ending August 2 The dark cloud of the Corona Pandemic and reactions to it will be with us for many months. We do not wish to miss any significant developments, but other basic elements of life are rightly receiving attention Corona Virus We have a report of a young man in Hong Kong who recovered from the virus some weeks ago, but has now fallen ill again with a variant of the same organism. This has raised anxieties that immunity is not long lasting – … [Read more...]
Singing quietly, turtles in Thailand but still little solace
What the papers said in the week ending August 22 The main narrative remains the ongoing national and international crisis arising from the Covid-19 Pandemic, with competing themes focusing on environmental matters. Other items of interest and importance are finding some space. Covid-19 The wish to return to normality is encountering injury as relaxation of rules and discipline has already led to increased rates of infection in many countries: … [Read more...]
Underlying issues and hidden treasure
What the papers have said in the week ending August 15th There is a sense that has begun to mature in our relationship with Covid-19. It remains a terrible world-threatening phenomenon, but we know it and we are aware of how our own behaviour contributes on the one hand to reducing its power, but on the other how lack of understanding and reckless self-seeking is fanning its survival and spread. Other matters are increasingly claiming attention and headlines Covid-19: The hardest hits … [Read more...]
Competence, coherence, consequences
What the papers have said in the week ending August 8th Covid 19 continues to dominate world and UK thinking. Its impact on the lives of older people is immense – for we are at the greatest risk of infection and death. The over 50s have not been amused by reports that a government think tank has mused on the idea of lockdown for everyone over 50: Naturally it was only a rumour https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/03/isolating-over-50s-idea-covid-19 … [Read more...]
Small doses of hope but much frustration
What the papers said in the week ending August 1st The most significant article for older people this week is the report of an update on preventative aspects for dementia from leaders in the field, published in the Lancet. They have added three factors to the nine they identified in 2017: Alcohol, head injuries and air pollution raise the risk of dementia. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30367-6/fulltext Then there is evidence that government and others are … [Read more...]
Slow, slow, quick quick, slow
What the papers said in the week ending July 25th Claims of progress and the hint of hope in research to counter Covid-19: Professor Tom Wilkinson and his team at Southampton University find that inhalation of a substance including Interferon Beta shows promise https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/20/trial-of-covid-19-coronavirus-drug-given-via-inhaler-sng001-very-promising-say-scientists Professor Sarah Gilbert of Oxford University and her team say they have a breakthrough in … [Read more...]
God is at work – a response
“In the midst of this worldwide pandemic, is God at work?” Having been invited to give a response to the article ‘God is at work?’ which was posted recently in Speaking Out on the website of Christians on Ageing, I must declare my credentials. I am a United Reformed Church minister, working on the south coast, mainly in the area of Bognor Regis. According to a “Which?” survey in 2019, it was the second-dreariest seaside resort in Britain, after Clacton-on-Sea. (We have done a little better … [Read more...]
Conference Call
Your invitation to a new series of Conference Calls We may be locked-in but our minds are still free to roam. We may not be able to meet each other and exchange our ideas in person. But, we can still talk to each other and see each other talking through the technology at our fingertips. Christians on Ageing wants to use this time and the technology to look at some important and pressing issues of the day. We are going to do this by using a very popular facility: ZOOM. 22 … [Read more...]
Covid, Care Staff, Contracts
What the papers said in the week ending July 18th The end of the week gave us joy as Queen Elizabeth knighted Captain Tom Moore in a ceremony on the lawns of Windsor Castle. Two utterly charming people with many years of experience between them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBIMV5NebrI Much of the rest was dominated by Covid-19 – some new science, much about the wisdom or otherwise of measures to contain it, and an accumulating dossier of secondary and tertiary effects: Immunity to … [Read more...]
Truthfulness in word and deed
What the papers said in the week ending July 10th Care Homes and Care services Boris Johnson guaranteed Care Homes and Care workers front page attention because of his bumbled address in Goole this week. It looks as though he set out to say that we must improve care services, which is true, and it is good to know the Prime Minister is at one with us in this. In the process he appeared to blame Care Homes and their staff for causing unnecessary deaths amongst residents. That is a cruel and … [Read more...]
God is at Work! (Acts 2:42-47)
Sometimes our circumstances can seem so daunting that we can miss God at work in the midst of them! When you look at the backdrop of the beginnings of the New Testament church it would be easy for the untrained eye to miss the fact that God was at work at all! Jesus, the leader of the new Christian church had been executed, the authorities continued to persecute the remnant of the Jesus movement causing them to be scattered and the Roman occupation continued unabated! And yet in the midst of … [Read more...]
Slow Steps to Recovery
What the papers said in the week ending July 4th 2020 Religion has found an impressive degree of interest in the media this week. The Guardian Centrefold on Friday was headed: ‘Keeping the Faith’ and reports on activities on the streets and through various media and internet means by which Christianity and the other faiths have been reaching more people than ever as people look for ways of reconciling to life under threat and with restrictions. … [Read more...]
Strategies and speeds
What the papers said week ending June 27 2020 The Windrush scandal remains unresolved but a new all-party working group hopes to get to grips where others have failed. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/22/windrush-scandal-cross-government-group-aims-to-tackle-terrible-treatment There is real concern that decisions to ease the restrictions of lockdown are being made too quickly. There is mounting international evidence that relaxation is associated with an increase in the number of … [Read more...]
Memories and Hopes
What the papers said in the week ending June 20th This is the week we lost Dame Vera Lynn, at the age of 103. A comforter and inspiration during the war, she has remained an active presence with songs and words of wisdom throughout her century. https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2020-06-18/vera-lynn-dead-dies-well-meet-again/ Joan Bakewell added her tribute and perspective, finishing with this: ‘ We who are old mourn, in losing her, the vision she gave us of our younger, happier selves yearning … [Read more...]
Dalai Lama to JK Rowling
What the papers said in the week ending June 13 A troubled week. The World-wide Covid-19 crisis rumbles on, but headlines have been drawn to matters of racial inequality and suppressed anger following the death of George Floyd who was killed by an arresting policeman in the USA Religion Within this time of turmoil the Dalai Lama is releasing a recording of his words called ‘Inner World’ July 6th in celebration of his 85th birthday and to support peace amongst people. Already ‘Compassion’ … [Read more...]
Care Homes, Inequalities, and Questions
What the papers have been saying in the week ending June 6th Care Homes A week of sustained high passion, but with the beginnings of consensus and with it a quieter resolve to take action. Polly Toynbee cites ‘the care home tragedy’ as a ‘stain on this government’: 22,000 excess deaths in care homes, NHS given priority, hospitals emptied into care homes – careless of the consequences. … [Read more...]
Responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic
Toolkit for parishes and Caritas Diocesan Agencies We have received a note of guidance produced by Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) with the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) https://www.csan.org.uk/guidance/covid-19/ This was published with remarkable speed on April 23rd. In its eighteen pages it is impressive: both caring and comprehensively practical and supportive. Bishop Terence P Drainey, Chair of CSAN, provides a foreword on the context of the Covid-19 crisis and a … [Read more...]
ALL LIVES MATTER
The publication of ‘Disparities in the risk and outcomes from COVID-19’ by Public Health England lays bare, once again major inequalities relating to age, gender, geography, deprivation, ethnicity and occupation https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-review-of-disparities-in-risks-and-outcomes We are seeing justifiable outrage at the killing of unarmed black people in the USA by those responsible for the maintenance of law and order. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52907101 Here … [Read more...]
Bishops praised and pilloried
What the papers said in the week ending May 30th No escape from Covid-19: the easing of restrictions is providing encouragement but some people feel this is being allowed too soon, as infection rates and death rates remain high. Religion and religious leaders continue to have their voices heard in the media: Bishops united in their condemnation of the behaviour of Dominic Cummings, Special Adviser to Boris Johnson. … [Read more...]
Unease & Understanding
What the papers said in the week ending May 23rd 2020 Religion Churches and other faiths are receiving comment in the media, perhaps more frequently than in normal times: The covid-19 death of 88 year old Bishop Vincent Malone of Liverpool was given prominence along with the deaths of people, some of whom are well known, others previously only know to friends and family. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-52709987 British Muslims prepared to celebrate Eid on line: … [Read more...]
Older people: reflection on the reality
What the papers have been saying in the week ending May 16th Amongst the high profile initiatives to acknowledge the significance of the covid-19 crisis and the work of key workers to help people who are affected, we read that leaders of the Christian Churches and the Jewish Faith in the UK have been making joint pilgrimages to hospitals for prayer and to give thanks: https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/chief-rabbi-among-faith-leaders-to-go-on-mini-pilgrimages-for-key-workers/ The very … [Read more...]
Mixed Feelings
What the papers have been saying in the week ending May 9th Another week dominated by covid-19. Each week brings new insights into the human condition and our responses to the global threat and the ways that politicians and scientific experts are behaving in this extreme circumstance: We have learned that ordinary people are finding ways to live with the reduction of freedom and dependence on outside catering and entertainment as well as work: More people are buying dogs – Giving rise … [Read more...]
Loss and Learning
What the papers have been saying – Week ending May 3rd Many stories are based in personal experiences, losses and learning, but these are linked to wider issues which are affecting many people now and for the future John Harris began the week with a heartfelt observation: ‘Ageism is deep-rooted in the UK, covid-19 is worsening it’: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/26/prejudice-older-people-coronavirus This was followed by letters and other articles stating clearly and … [Read more...]
The good, the bad … and a mixed bag
What the papers have been saying week ending April 26th The weeks are dominated by news and reactions to the covid-19 crisis. Lack of Personal Protective Equipment has been highlighted and is the focus of recriminations and distressed claims that front-line workers have died and will die for lack of it. The Prime Minister is criticised for not attending key virus meetings – though his deputy will have been briefed. Testing targets are advertised and revised. Laboratory tests are found to lack … [Read more...]
Opening our eyes
What the papers have said in the week ending April 18th 2020 These extraordinary times reveal heightened awareness and perhaps changing values in this country and around the world. Monday’s papers included references to the communications we mentioned at the end of last week from Pope Francis, Archbishop Welby and Queen Elizabeth We are reminded of the consequences of deaths in great numbers, especially for the poor and homeless: communications from the USA cite the burial of 25 bodies … [Read more...]
New Life – but not as we expected
What the papers have been saying in the week to Easter 2020 The UK and the rest of the world continue to be transfixed by the Covid-19 crisis which is causing suffering and deaths – cutting short lives which would otherwise have gone on for more months – sometimes many years. The consequences of actions taken to reduce the spread of the virus pose enormous challenges to understanding and what to do about them In the UK, and elsewhere, attention moved swiftly to the threats to big companies … [Read more...]
Visiting Care Homes and Covid-19
Marion Shoard, a member of the Christians on Ageing committee, has prepared some guidance notes on the difficulties faced by relatives and friends of those who live in residential care homes, and those who have pastoral responsibility like ministers or lay visitors. Marion is a published author on issues affecting the lives of older people. You can read Marion's guidance here: Shoard, newsletter, 2, apr 20 … [Read more...]
Church Leaders: Joint message for Holy Week
In an unprecedented move, Church leaders came together on Wednesday 1st April 2020. The morning video conference included senior religious leaders from around Britain and Ireland who shared the situation in each of their jurisdictions. The initiative originated with Archbishop Justin Welby who wanted to offer an opportunity for leaders to hear and support one another in these critical days for our nations. The afternoon video meeting of senior officers of many of the churches included … [Read more...]
No news, but all the news
What the papers have been saying in the week ending April 4th We are well and truly in lockdown. Very little finds space in the news or newspapers which is not related to Covid-19: its spread, strategies to contain it, and its consequences for communities and individuals: We have had stories and photographs of people who have died before their time – including Hilda Churchill who, though 108, was looking forward to more years http://guardian.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx … [Read more...]
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of Christians on Ageing will not take place on 29 April 2020. This postponement is in line with government guidance and regulations about public gatherings, Information about revised arrangements or a new date will be circulated to members and posted on the website when the situation changes. … [Read more...]
Coping with the crisis
Pastoral Care in the time of the coronavirus pandemic The challenges for local churches at the present time are how to keep alive the sense of a caring and still-worshipping community and sustain the bonds of fellowship that are, for all of us, a source of comfort and support in trying circumstances Whilst denominations have done such things as giving advice, providing worship material on websites and using various forms of technology to stream worship and discussion gatherings into people’s … [Read more...]
The virus, the Churches and other faith communities
A ready source of help and support Marion Shoard, a member of the committee at Christians on Ageing, and a noted writer on issues of interest to older people, has a letter in The Guardian today about supporting older people and others who become subject to self-isolation as a consequence of the coronavirus phenomenon. Churches and other faith communities are well placed to identify people in this situation, to offer and provide practical help and to reduce their risk of feeling alone: How … [Read more...]
‘From slippered pantaloon to zimmered malcontent’
What the papers have been saying – Week ending March 7th High profile advocates for people with dementia and their families, are having a difficult time. Now we have Professor June Andrews OBE (for services to people with dementia) FRCN, being pilloried for her comments to a Public Audit Committee of the Scottish … [Read more...]
Shorter lives, more struggle
What the papers have said at the end of February There is one main topic for the week, introduced by Sarah Bosely in ‘Austerity linked to life expectancy' https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/feb/24/austerity-blamed-for-life-expectancy-stalling-for-first-time-in-century She and others review the findings and advice from the Marmot Report updated ten years after its first appearance www.health.org.uk/publications/reports/the-marmot-review-10-years-on. This is a damning observation on … [Read more...]
Death, discrimination and deprivation
Noticed in the newspapers: week ending 11.1.2020 Letters: Bags of Life (and more) Frank Cartwright tells of the response from a till girl when he asked if a bag was guaranteed to outlast him: ‘She looked at me very intently and said: ‘In your case, sir, certainly.’ Mr Cartwright is 86 Godfrey Keller wonders which of he (67), his partner (68), and a kitten they rescued, will be the first to go Albert Beale makes the serious point that checkout machines and the like are designing … [Read more...]
Care in an ageing society
Caritas Social Action Network - representing all dioceses in England & Wales - has produced a Report and Resource for Parishes on the way in which the Catholic Church, and others, can and should respond to a growing older population. It does not just deal with need but outlines the opportunities that come with growing older. Read the Report here: Care in Time This is the press release issued for the launch of the Report. 6th December 2019 On 4 December 2019, two major new … [Read more...]
Radio Sheffield asks Questions
On Sunday 22 September 2019, a couple of days before our Conference, we were fortunate to get a slot on Radio Sheffield's Sunday morning programme. David Jolley, vice-Chair and one of the speakers at the conference, was in conversation with Sarah Major about the topics which were discussed at the conference. You can listen to the interview here: … [Read more...]
House of Lords Inquiry
House of Lords asks about illness-free later life The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee's inquiry on ageing, science, technology and healthy living sought evidence from interested parties by September 20th this year https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/science-and-technology-committee/news-parliament-2017/ageing-inquiry-launch/ The invitation noted the continued increase in life expectation in the UK but suggested that the added years … [Read more...]
Conference Report
BEING OLD, BEING BOLD Our conference took place on 25 September 2019 in Sheffield. Read the full report here https://christiansonageing.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/2019/10/Conference-2019-Report.pdf The day included: David Jolley, Honorary Reader The University of Manchester; retired Consultant and Professor of Old Age Psychiatry, reflecting on Intergenerational Fairness & Provision Helen McCormack, currently Ministry with Older People Development Worker, Northallerton … [Read more...]
Older People in prison and smart tech
Christians on Ageing is delighted to note the continuing interest of The Guardian newspaper in the well-being of older prisoners. This is an issue our organisation has been investigating for the last few years. We have recently developed contacts with two prisons providing specialist care for older prisoners including HMP Wymott, which is mentioned in a report (6 March 2019) by Sarah Johnson: How smart tech is giving ageing prisoners a lifeline It is well worth reading and we would be very … [Read more...]
