Christian Council on ageing

for older people and their life of faith and hope.

   

A VOICE FOR OLDER PEOPLE AND THEIR LIFE OF FAITH AND HOPE

 

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Older prisoners and our care for them

16th August 2021 By GerryBurke

What the papers said in the week ending  14 August 2021

Christians on Ageing has a long-established interest in the welfare and spiritual care of older prisoners. It is sobering this week to read accounts and additional comments about the state of UK prisoners and the experiences of their residents of all ages. A population of 78,000 (twice the rate per population as was the case when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, several times the rate in most European countries) saw 396 deaths in the 12 months to June 2021. The men (95% of the prison population) are old at 50. Surely we can do better than this. The reform of prisons has been my life’s work, but they are still utterly broken | Frances Crook | The Guardian

  • Inescapable truths about our outdated prisons | Letters | The Guardian

As sobering but on a global scale is the report from the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Control) which predicts further escalation of the extremes of weather we are seeing. Human activity has contributed to this change and we are asked to modify what we do: World’s climate scientists to issue stark warning over global heating threat | Climate change | The Guardian

  • The IPCC report is clear: nothing short of transforming society will avert catastrophe | Patrick Vallance | The Guardian
  • George Monbiot urges us to preserve established old organisms and not rush to replace them: The gift we should give to the living world? Time, and lots of it | George Monbiot | The Guardian
  • A similar message comes from studies of many different animal groups – wisdom developed over generations cannot be easily regenerated if it is lost Culture shock: how loss of animals’ shared knowledge threatens their survival | Conservation | The Guardian

One has to think the same applies to human kind

Amongst the strengths developed within cultures over centuries is the routine of spending time together simply to chat and share stories and reviews of the day and more.

  • The Mayor of Algar has applied to Unesco for recognition of this practice with World Heritage status Spanish village seeks Unesco world heritage status for outdoor chats | Spain | The Guardian
  • Sardinian villagers live long lives working to the same prescription: ‘If you talk, you live well’: the remote Sardinian village with eight centenarians | Italy | The Guardian
  • Arguments to retain and use ‘dead’ languages add support to this appreciation of gifts from our heritage: Why the Latin language is still alive | Letters | The Guardian
  • Museums are no longer stuffy places of dry exhibits – They are presenting interactive experiences of lives of the past: Tea, sweat and whale poop: museum sniffs out history of London’s docks | Museums | The Guardian

‘Flying feminist’ Lilian Bland celebrated in new exhibition | Museums | The Guardian

Issues of age:

Historic studies of mental health link suicide of older people to poverty and mental illness: Insanity the common verdict on suicides in 18th century England | Ageing | The Guardian

Grandparents deprived of contact with their young grandchildren by the pandemic and lockdowns are offered comfort by bags of rice weight-matched for the infants and decorated with photographs of the child Rice, rice baby: Japanese parents send relatives rice to hug in lieu of newborns | Japan | The Guardian

Early death amongst women is linked to shrinkage of stature during middle age: Study links women’s middle-age height loss with greater risk of death | Medical research | The Guardian

Increased girth in middle age and later life has been shown not to be due to a change of metabolic rate – but comes from eating too much Energy to burn: teenage metabolism rate similar to adults’, says study | Medical research | The Guardian

Many people retain their appetite for life and activities: these has been an increased number of marriages of people aged 65 and more. This often works out well: ‘Getting married rejuvenated me’: the over-65s tying the knot | Marriage | The Guardian

Deterioration in relationships was less common amongst older people (12%) than young adults (35%) Fifth of UK adults had a relationship breakdown during Covid, study finds | Coronavirus | The Guardian

Tony Bennett has been advised to cease live performances – five years into dementia and aged 95 Tony Bennett, 95, retires from live shows on doctors’ orders | Tony Bennett | The Guardian

John (Frank) Smith pursued his favourite pastime of hill-walking until the very end Body of missing hillwalker, 84, found in Scottish Highlands | Scotland | The Guardian

Covid: consequences and considerations

While new cases and deaths from Covid-19 continue, health care resources have been drawn to deal with this crisis, consequently needs arising from other pathologies are not being met. It will take time and additional resource to catch up: Almost 1.2m people waiting at least six months for vital NHS services in England | NHS | The Guardian

  • The problems are not confined to health care. People of every sort of vulnerability have been damaged by the extra stress Revealed: England’s pandemic crisis of child abuse, neglect and poverty | Social care | The Guardian

We are urged to take a world view on the use of vaccines and other approaches to containing the pandemic. Approaches to squeeze the virus even more securely in the UK and other rich countries would deny others the sort of protection we already have: Booster jabs for rich countries will cause more deaths worldwide, say experts | Vaccines and immunisation | The Guardian

Other matters:

We learn of the strange world of money: Gavin Woodhouse is accused of having become rich at the expense of others by dealing in finance with no substance. His interests included care homes SFO launches investigation into Gavin Woodhouse over suspected fraud | Serious Fraud Office | The Guardian

  • Uncovered: the £200m theme park, the businessman – and the missing millions | Business | The Guardian

Advances in the use of brain scans can add to understanding of dementia. The techniques have value in research but the prospect of their application clinically on a global,  or even a national scale should be tempered Artificial intelligence could be used to diagnose dementia | Dementia | The Guardian

During this week we have lost Una Stubbs who has brought joy to many as we have aged together

  • Una Stubbs: a life in pictures | UK news | The Guardian

 

David Jolley

Filed Under: NEWS

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Speaking Out

There are some things which just have to be said.  We have to speak out because at the heart of the Christian message is our belief that God is not silent.  God has spoken through creation itself and the evolving universe; through the human story; through the dwelling of Jesus Christ in time; through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Church and in each believer; through the inspiration of the scriptures; and through the wisdom and the teaching of the Church through the ages.

We use words all the time.  Words of welcome.  Words of wisdom.  Words of warmth.  Words of warning.  Words of wistfulness.  Our words are wasted if words are just words.   In the beginning was the Word.  And the Word was with God.  And the Word was God.  Through him all things came to be, not one thing had its being but through him.   The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word made things happen.

As Christians, as followers of the Word, we do something about what we have heard.  Our own best words are our actions.

Please tell us what you would like us to Speak Out about by contacting:  info@ccoa.org.uk

 

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Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth.  Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust.  Lead me from hope to love, from war to peace.  Let peace fill my heart, our world, our universe.

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