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.
On 4 December 2019, two major new resources on care in our ageing society were launched at a gathering in London, co-ordinated by Caritas Social Action Network.
First, the ‘Care in Time’ report explores how senior leaders of Catholic organisations can address the increasing concerns of charities and carers about the prospects for the care of older people in England and Wales. Longer lives are a great sign of progress, creating new opportunities in our society. But challenges remain, from developing positive attitudes to ageing and public awareness of care, to the impacts of regulation and markets on care provided by Catholic organisations among others. In the report, Peter Kevern, Professor of Values in Social Care at Staffordshire University, has extended Catholic social thought on ageing in our national context. Dr Kathryn Hodges, an independent consultant and researcher, completed field research with residents in care homes, religious sisters and working age adults in Catholic parishes, in three areas of England. Many directors and diocesan representatives in the Caritas network also contributed evidence to the report.
Secondly, ‘Reaching Out’ offers parishes and groups some guidance on discerning and organising local group-based social activities that older people feel right for them. This resource is a fruit of a three-year collaboration – the Embrace Project – between Caritas Salford, Catholic Care (Diocese of Leeds), Father Hudson’s Care and the national team in CSAN, with over 20 activities established by Catholic parishes involving over 1,000 people of all ages within and beyond the Catholic community.
The event was chaired by Debbie Thrower, a well-known former journalist and broadcaster, and founder of Anna Chaplaincy for older people. Around 65 people attended, including Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Bishop Terence Drainey (Chair of CSAN), Bishop John Arnold and other CSAN trustees, leaders and practitioners from religious orders and charities in the Caritas network working with older people, with senior representatives of Age UK, MHA, the Muslim Council of Britain and Catholic trust funders.
The new resources are available to download:
- For Care in Time and accompanying reports, please see CSAN’s publications page (under Older People).
- Reaching Out: Older people and Catholic parishes making memories together
Further pointers for practical action in local churches are offered on our site as ‘Resources for parishes and groups’.
