"Do not cast me aside in my old age; as my strength fails, do not forsake me." (Ps. 71:9)
Reflections:
As America ages, there is a growing concern for and a challenge to the Episcopal Church of today: How to nurture our elderly members and neighbors living with Alzheimer's disease/dementia.
According to Sherwin Nuland, a professor of medicine, "'Eighty percent of Americans now die in hospitals.'" [1] Many of those dying in hospitals are seniors who are living with Alzheimer's disease/dementia. Within a given year, one in three seniors will die from Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia. [2] Nuland is concerned that many patients may or will experience an isolated death. How are Episcopal congregations especially their clergy and lay ministers equipped to minister to their members who live with Alzheimer's disease/dementia are loved by God, their church, their clergy, and those they have worshipped with over the years? Most importantly, how are they to know that they are not alone on this journey in life?
As Episcopalians we need to continue our intercessory prayers in our worship and within the rituals of our sacraments and sacramental rites for those who find themselves on the margins of our society because of this disease. Clergy within the Episcopal Church are the ministers of Holy Baptism sharing God's grace for a death to sin and a new life in Christ; likewise they minister the Holy Eucharist to sustain the community in this life in Christ. They also may offer the sacramental rites of Reconciliation for renewal and wholeness, and Unction, the anointing of the sick, for strength in "spirit, mind, and body" for those who are living with Alzheimer's disease/dementia.[3]
I believe the Church is a humble servant and as a humble servant, it is essential for clergy and lay ministers to communicate this message to the elderly who are in care facilities, the elderly who live alone, and to those who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease/dementia: You have been faithful to God, you have been faithful in coming to church, as well as being a witness to the community of believers. Now, when you are no longer able to come to us within a church setting, we will faithfully come to you. Clergy and lay ministers should explicitly reveal the words of Dame Cicely, "You matter to the last moment of your life, and we will do all we can, not only to help you die in peace, but also to live until you die," [4] as they offer the sacraments and sacramental rites to the elderly and those who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease/dementia; which will communicate to these individuals that they are not alone on this journey in life or in death. By the grace of God and through our rituals, clergy and lay ministers are able to cultivate a moment in time that offers hope and healing for the elderly and for individuals living with Alzheimer's disease/dementia who find themselves in a "sea of pain," [5] suffering, and confusion.
Last week, I was by the bedside of an elderly lady who was diagnosed with dementia. We were aware of God's presence among us, as I watched the rhythm of her breathing while holding her hand. I witnessed her own prayer to God through her weakness while receiving the sacramental rite of anointing. In that precious moment, I realized she was ministering and comforting me by her peaceful countenance; resting in the presence of God's eternal love.
[1] Ronald L. Grimes, Deeply into the Bone (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000), 226.
[2] http://www.alz.org/facts/overview.asp?gcld
[3] Byron David Stuhlman, Occasions of Grace: An Historical and Theological Study of the Pastoral offices and Episcopal Services in the Book of Common Prayer (New York: Church Publishing, 1995), 221.
[4] Webb Brown, "Loss, Death, and Dying from a Hospice Perspective," in Injustice and the Care of Souls, ed. Kujawa-Holbrook and Montagno (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2009), 275.
[5] Pamela Baird, "The Role of Ritual at the End of Life," in Living with Grief Spirituality and End-Of-Life Care, ed. Kenneth J. Doka & Amy S. Tucci (Washington, D.C.: Hospice Foundation of America, 2004), 65.
No comments:
Post a Comment