Bishop Kevin Farrell

The Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

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Honoring the elderly

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AgingDo not cast me aside in my old age;
as my strength fails, do not forsake me.

Psalm 71:9

As the percentage of the population over 65 increases, attitudes toward and care of the elderly becomes a major concern for families and our society as a whole. Addressing this issue on March 5, in an audience with members of the Pontifical Academy for Life, the Holy Father emphasized that, “The biblical commandment to honor our parents reminds us in a broader sense of our duty to honor all elderly people.”

We cannot allow ourselves to become indifferent to suffering, “the human person always remains precious, even when elderly or afflicted by illness,” the Pope continued, “The elderly need, first and foremost, the care of their families – whose affection cannot be substituted even by the most efficient structures or by the most competent and charitable healthcare workers.”

Census data indicates a decline in the nursing home population, attributable to better health among the elderly but also to more being cared for by their families in their homes. That is good news. Regardless of the quality of care available, there is a sense of abandonment attached to moving to a nursing home.

“Abandonment,” Pope Francis stated, “is the most serious ‘malady’ to afflict the elderly, and also the greatest injustice they can suffer; those who have helped us to grow should not be abandoned when they need our help, our love.”

There are circumstances which make it impossible to care for a parent or elderly person at home and an assisted living facility must be used. In that event every effort must be made to insure proper and loving care is provided and frequent visits and phone calls made to maintain connections and prevent the feeling of abandonment.

“When life becomes very fragile and the end of earthly life comes close, we feel the responsibility to look after and accompany the person in the best way possible,” the Pope continued.   This would involve both spiritual and medical care. Spiritually, pastoral care and the Sacrament of the Sick should be made available, and medically, effective palliative care to relieve suffering should be used.

St. Paul reminds us “Whoever does not provide for relatives and especially family members has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1Timothy 5:8)

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Image credit: “Hands” by Marjan Lazarevski on Flickr

The Elderly Among Us

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Elderly

A constant theme of the Holy Father is our throwaway society where anything that no longer has economic value is disposed of or shunted aside. In a morning homily last fall, Pope Francis deplored the fact that we live at a time when the elderly are not valued and are put to one side because they are considered a nuisance.

This week he said that the worst thing about growing old is not becoming weaker or infirm, but the “abandonment, the exclusion, the deprivation of love” in today’s “throwaway culture.” The Pope’s remarks came in a written message to the General Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the Academy’s founding.

In a homily last fall at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis called on the faithful to care for grandparents, for without them there is no future, adding, “A people that does not care for its grandparents, a people that does not respect their grandparents, does not have a future because they do not have a memory…they have lost their memory.”

In his letter to the Pontifical Society the Pope wrote, “human relationships are always relationships of reciprocal dependence.” The degree of dependence on others varies during one’s lifetime but is greatest at the early and later stages. We are all destined to experience times of dependence and of independence.

We must respond to the Holy Father’s concern by treasuring those loved ones who have lost their independence. Sadly there are many in our diocese who have been excluded and abandoned. A good Lenten resolution would be to visit a nursing home once a week to see a friend or relative or seek out someone who never has a visitor. You are sure to find Jesus there.