Being older is first and foremost: being an older woman or man. We are people with hopes and fears, loves and hates, friends and enemies, things to do and things to avoid, times of sickness and times of health: we are human. Being human brings with it the ability to give as much or as little to the world around us as we wish, and the need from time to time to seek and to receive help and support from others around us. In this part of our website you will find reflections on some of the facts of … [Read more...]
Spirituality
Spirituality Members of Christians on Ageing are usually Christians, though some are just interested in our work or support our endeavours. A Christian is defined not only by her or his acceptance of a set of beliefs or practices, but by an attitude towards living which includes seeking the presence of God. One of the reasons for it being so difficult to be a Christian in the developed countries of the West is that opportunities to experience the presence of God are reduced by the clamour of … [Read more...]
The Churches’ pastoral care
The Churches begin their thinking and action about caring for others in the words of Jesus: ‘Feed my lambs; feed my sheep’. This straight-forward invitation to continue his ministry is called pastoral care, and it is carried out in many different ways – nationally, locally, and in specialist ministries. Local A local church or ministry offers support and help to a whole congregation or different groups with specific needs. Part of pastoral care is the regular meeting for prayer or social … [Read more...]
Health & Social Care
Being older does not mean being ill or needy all the time. There will be times, however, when being older brings with it needs in health and social care which are different from those of younger people. This is such a statement of the obvious that it sometimes gets forgotten in discussions about age and ageing. The increase in the numbers of people living for much longer than, say, fifty years ago, has distorted attitudes towards being old, and especially towards the needs of those who are in … [Read more...]
Some facts
Those commonly described as ‘older people’ number over 10 million, and cover an age range of up to 40 years. Within such a large group there will be great differences not only in terms of age, but of family structure, social class, gender, sexuality, health, income and wealth, housing, social contacts, employment status, retirement, and religious practices and beliefs. To differentiate within this diversity, some people distinguish between active retired people up to about the age of 75 – … [Read more...]
