In the spring of 2007, an article was published in Center Sage reviewing my personal perspective over the last 30 years of continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) in The United Methodist Church. That piece and the feedback it drew forms both the stimulus and basis for what is to follow, an observation of what I hope will be of value to the church where experience and resources will be vitally needed to meet the rising demand for care of aging congregations.

According to Edwin J. Pittock, President, Society of Certified Senior Advisors, "By 2020, the number of people over 50 inthe U.S. will grow 74%, while the people under 50 will grow by only 1%." For the first time, America faces questionable ability to meet the needs of the largest generation since 1900 -- Baby Boomers. Boomers are approaching the time when they will become consumers rather than taxpayers contributing to public programs (Medicare and Medicaid) that, for the last 40 years, have cared for people as they aged. For the first time, society is looking at a generation that has wanted the best, wanted the most, and wanted it on demand. All three of these factors have the potential of creating a deep strain on a service-delivery system unprepared for what is to come.

To reinforce the aforementioned point, on October 31, 2007, Mark Mellman wrote a piece found in The Hill (www.TheHill.com) titled "Looming crisis of long-term care." Therein, he stated, "About 60 percent of those over 65 will need at least some long-term care services during their lifetime, while over 40 percent will require a nursing home stay. The need will come as little surprise to most Americans, as 40 percent expect a close family member to require long-term care during the next 10 years . . . . Despite clearheaded recognition of what lies ahead, 70 percent of Americans have done no planning whatsoever for long-term care. In fact, more than two-thirds of those who expect to need such care for a family member in the next five years, have made no plans, and 81 percent have made no preparations for the financial demands they will be called upon to meet."

In mid-August 2007, I had the opportunity to participate in a symposium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Older Adult Ministries within The United Methodist Church. During the openingw orship service, a striking thought was shared by the Reverend Vance Ross, Deputy General Secretary, General Board of Discipleship. He suggested that younger people had no memory and no imagination of the past and the struggles people had encountered. When one reflects on this along with the threat to economic security/financial independence and personal health, against the backdrop of life expectancy increasing to an average of 77.9 years (Center of Disease Control and Prevention) plus deterioration of intergenerational families, questions arise as to where and how one will get care when it is needed.

In deeper reflection, a more compelling thought comes to mind: What can be done to faithfully and effectively address needs of an aging society in the church? Reflecting on my spring 2007 article, experience tells me that within the United Methodist connection, we have underused resources within the bounds of historically connected continuing care retirement communities that I believe should be explored. These organizations have served for many years within the borders of annual conferences, caring for the needs of people, encountering and meeting the challenges of service delivery in the twenty-first century, often out-of-view of the church. As a result, what they have done and how they have developed as knowledgeable serving communities and vital information banks have escaped the eye of our denomination.

Before the huge wave of aging Boomers begin to require extensive housing and/or long-term care, one of the things that can be done by United Methodist leaders is to reestablish connection with older adult ministry, agency-based programs. In doing so, much could be learned about what these formsof extension ministry have done and are doing in the spirit of serving in a broken world.

Once connection has been reestablished with faith-based programs such as CCRCs, another step that could be taken would be through an annual conference council on older adult ministries with the intent of building a plan for ways CCRCs could resource local churches to serve congregations to the extent of their ability and then look to their experienced "partners" to provide campus services to assist people having needs local parishes are unable to meet.

As a resource for sharing about life’s needs being met outside the natural home, the Reverend Richard L. Morgan, a retired Presbyterian minister and chaplain, following last year's article, shared his experience in relocating to a retirement community. His book, Settling In, is a wonderful read for people thinking about making the move to a continuing care retirement community.

Recently, I overheard a person suggest that we are living in a time of computer technology where change will be the only standard for years to come. While some may believe this, I tend to think these folks may have forgotten that God created the most sophisticated computer ever in the form o fthe human mind. Furthermore, it was God who gave all people the pattern to follow through Jesus' life when he came to serve. With these two gifts and the desire to be obedient to God's expectation, I believe past mistakes of severed relationships with church-related agencies and moving on to use what has been learned, particularly in older adult ministries through CCRCs, can be merged to address mounting problems of aging people in fresh and creative ways. The reality of bridging the gap between the church and older adult ministry agencies could position people who either have or will likely have physical and/or thinking, this is in line with ministry in the Christian church as compared to what some societies have been exploring through robots as caregivers. For some reason, the thought of a machine attending to personal human need creates a disconnect when it comes to emphasizing the vulnerabilities and circumstances that human beings often face when they move into the autumn and winter of their lives.

After considering the thoughts and views shared through this article, I would be grateful if readers would share their comments. Going forward, I am confident what could come from your views could be vital in continuing work aimed toward reconnecting and building ministries for older adults within our great church.

The Rev. Dr. Daniel W. Farley
President/CEO GlenWood Park, Inc.
d/b/a GlenWood Park Retirement Village
1924 GlenWood Park Rd.
Princeton, WV 24740-7969
Phone: 304-425-8128, ext. 223
E-mail: dangwp@citlink.net

Settling In:
My First Year in a Retirement Community
by Richard L. Morgan

192 pages
Large print
978-0-8358-9908-6
$14.00 At age seventy-four, Richard Morgan moved into a retirement community in Pennsylvania. Later, drawing from his personal journals, the author identified three major stages of this spiritual journey: the initial excitement and euphoria; second thoughts and regrets; and discerning his life in the community. This unique and candid collection of meditations will prove particularly helpful for those considering entering a continuing care/retirement community (as well as for adult children or caregivers of persons facing such a decision).

Return to Spring 2008 Center Sage "Contents" page.

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