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...]
THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS WE WANT TO SAY
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...]
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...]
‘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...]
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...]
National attitudes to death
On our News page there is a report about an initiative earlier in 2018 by Co-op Funeralcare: the provision of low-cost funerals which involve no mourners and no ceremony. The Co-op announced that it would be conducting a nationwide survey of British attitudes towards death. The results of the survey have been published as ‘Making peace with death’ and can be read here. The Co-op says that over 30,000 responses were received although this figure is amended in the formal reference to the size … [Read more...]
Euthanasia
A recent ‘long read’ contribution in The Guardian explores reflections on the availability of legal access to euthanasia in a growing number of countries. The subject is headlined: Death on Demand: Has euthanasia gone too far? https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/jan/18/death-on-demand-has-euthanasia-gone-too-far-netherlands-assisted-dying? … [Read more...]
Older people, depression and its treatment
A commentary on recent research and media reports by David Jolley, a member of the Christians on Ageing Executive Committee and, formerly, holding senior positions in the study of Old Age Psychiatry at Wolverhampton and Manchester Universities. https://christiansonageing.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/2019/03/Too-many-old-people-are-given-antidepressants.pdf A response from Dr Susan M Benbow drsmbenbow@gmail.com I have read David Jolley’s blog with interest and, whilst I agree … [Read more...]
Assisted Dying
The Royal College of Physicians has recently adopted a position of neutrality on whether or not the law should be changed to allow a doctor to hasten a patient’s death in keeping with their expressed wishes. David Jolley, a member of Christian on Ageing Executive Committee, offers this comment: https://christiansonageing.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/67/2019/03/Assisted-dying.pdf … [Read more...]
