Ministering to Seniors
The elderly represent one of the most accessible, most promising, and most neglected areas of ministry today.
They are the most accessible. The elderly make up the fastest growing segment of our society today. Most people don’t openly welcome strangers into their home unless they have a definite purpose. The average family has few occasions to call on strangers for help. The elderly on the other hand are often lonely and more accepting of visitors. They also have a wide range of needs which require assistance but which are hard to get help with. Many are no longer able to do lawn mowing and walk shoveling or a wide variety of other chores like home repairs, tree and bush trimming, and gardening. Many require assistance with transportation, personal care and house cleaning but have a difficult time finding people to do it and many of those they find charge more than they can afford. The government is spending millions of dollars to meet the needs of Senior Citizens but many needs can be taken care of at little or no cost by neighbors and will provide ample opportunity to show them the love of Chris
They are the most promising. Fire is easy to ignore when it is tucked away in a corner of the basement in the furnace but is hard to ignore when it consumes the walls of your house. The younger person takes very little thought of death until it strikes close to home, but in our society with our advanced health care, that is rare. The elderly on the other hand, are beginning to see the end drawing near. Often beset by numerous health issues, including heart problems and cancer, death is hard to ignore. In addition, as they are entering retirement, they may face the death of their parents or even of their brothers and/or sisters, and their friends, reminding them that death could be not far off. It is futile to ask a young person what will happen when they die because few even want to discuss it, but it is a question that many of the elderly have thought about and are probably continuing to think about. It is a question that the Christian can answer and that will bring a great deal of comfort to the elderly.
They are the most neglected area of ministry. Since the 1960’s when the baby-boomers were reaching their teens, the church has been quick to add youth activities to their programs. Many churches pour a great deal of time and money into youth programs and will often hire a youth pastor as their second pastor, even though the youth programs are very costly and return very little money to the church. Today as the number of youth continues to shrink, churches continue to pour a great deal of time and money into youth programs. Yet, the elderly who now make up the majority in many older churches get very little notice. Many churches drop the elderly from their active rolls when they can no longer attend church or contribute much to the collection plate, even though they are people who contributed a great deal of time and money to the church in their younger years. (See “World of the Elderly’)
The elderly have many needs which provides a wide variety of ways that the church can minister to the elderly and many will provide openings to reach them with the Gospel.
Chores-Many are no longer able to do lawn mowing and walk shoveling or a wide variety of other chores like tree and bush trimming, and gardening. Many require assistance with personal care and house cleaning but have a difficult time finding people to do it and many of those they find charge more than they can afford. Many jobs used to be done by young kids in the neighborhood but a lot of kids are too busy with sports or other school activities and have not been taught the benefits of helping others. Many have Christian neighbors who could help. The government is spending millions of dollars to meet the needs of Senior Citizens but many needs can be taken care of at little or no cost by neighbors and will provide ample opportunity to show them the love of Christ. Many of them would gladly pay a little but can not afford the high cost of professional lawn care companies. Churches can also do it as an organized project for the church young people as a demonstration of God’s love.
Home repairs– appliances, steps and porch, etc. are a problem for Seniors. Many are on limited income and can not afford to call in a repairman. Many are simple jobs and will not require a professional. In addition, churches often have people with the skills needed for complex jobs but don’t know it because they have never surveyed their members. The church should do background checks on any who will be working inside for their own protection.
Nutrition-Many women no longer are motivated to cook for just themselves and with the added difficulty due to arthritis or inability to stand long, may resort to expensive store-prepared meals and meals from fast-food places. Home delivered meals or congregate meal sites are now available in most counties but often not far from the county seat and a few other scattered locations. Often those delivering the meals don’t have time to stop and visit. Churches could provide congregate meals sites, provide volunteers to deliver meals in their area, or deliver meals periodically to supplement home delivered meals.
Transportation– The elderly are often restricted in getting out due to no longer being able to drive or because health and frailty make getting out difficult and there is often no public transportation in rural areas. Members living nearby can pick up a few things while shopping or if the Senior is able to get out, they can ride along to pick up some things when the member does their normal shopping. Seniors may help by watching kids while mom shops in return for picking up a few items at the store, if the kids are well behaved.
Socialization-Many have no friends or family nearby and are open to being visited by neighbors or friends. Many have grandchildren scattered around the country which they have never seen. They may have pictures of them but the kids were never able to visit due to distance. Many would enjoy visits by children though others might not so check first. Make sure children are well-behaved and will be a positive experience rather than a negative one. For the elderly who can get out, Senior Centers may be too far away to get to or there may not be transportation available, yet many churches have facilities they can use for Senior meals and social activities and are often close to large groups of seniors. Many elderly in nursing homes do not get any visitors at all and would welcome visits as well, especially during holidays. Nursing home activity directors are often overburdened and welcome volunteers to help with special activities for residents, especially during the holidays when residents who have lost loved ones feel the loneliness the most.
For more information on ministering to Seniors, check out the “The Elderly” section of “A Servant’s Heart-part-A” which I published in 2011 and the video on You Tube “Robert Barr Session 1”. A short Intro is also available on You Tube at “Intro Robert Barr” to use when you announce the time and place of a showing.