Aging and Spiritual Maturity
While we prepare as best as we can for our physical and financial needs as we age, we also need to achieve some understanding of the meaning of our lives, i.e., our spirituality
November 20, 2024
While we prepare as best as we can for our physical and financial needs as we age, we also need to achieve some understanding of the meaning of our lives, i.e., our spirituality
As we age, we often find ourselves spending more time alone. Older adults are also at a higher risk for loneliness and social isolation as a result of health changes that can come with growing older — hearing, vision, and memory loss, disability, and trouble getting around.
Ageism can shorten a lifespan by 7.5 years, according to a 2002 study by Becca Levy. Individuals with a more positive self-perception of aging lived an average of 7.5 years longer than those with less positive self-perceptions.
Sunny Day Club® provides respite for family caregivers and a regular outing for loved ones in the early stages of memory loss.
Older adults often say they want to stay in their own homes as long as they can. We describe such thinking as aging in place — defined as living in the home and community of your choice as you age. It is a place where one feels safe has the ability to control and enjoy life experiences.
As a child, I had freckles on my nose and cheeks. My body was not covered in freckles like some of my childhood friends, but I didn’t like that I had freckles anywhere on my body. My distain for my freckles was well known to my family.
If we reframe aging and discount the aging myth, then we affirm that life can be an exciting adventure through the decades.
Later life is a time of reassessment and reflection. What sense do we make of the lives we have lived? How do we come to terms with illness and death? What do we want to give to others as we grow older?
“The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon…In old age they still produce fruit,
[cs_content][cs_element_section _id=”1″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”2″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”3″ ][cs_element_text _id=”4″ ][cs_content_seo]By Dr. Richard H. Gentzler, Jr., director, ENCORE Ministry Recently, when I
The ENCORE Ministry Foundation provided a grant to First United Methodist in Columbia, Tennessee, to help fund their feeding ministry, the People’s Table. Since 2004, the People’s Table ministry serves meals to neighbors in need every Tuesday evening and Friday afternoon, providing nourishment, love, and hope to the homeless, elderly, families, and individuals struggling to make ends meet. However, the need in the community is growing. With the closure of a local battery plant and reductions in SNAP benefits, more families are facing food insecurity.
Together, we can be the hands and feet of Jesus, feeding the hungry, caring for the vulnerable, and showing love to those who need it most. Every dollar you give to the Kent and Ellen McNish Fund for Older Adult Food Security helps feeding ministries stretch resources and serve more meals to those in need. Donate today and help support life-changing feeding ministries like the People’s Table.