Learn new approaches for strengthening the religious bonds of our aging population! Through Scripture, studies, and the personal experiences of religious leaders and congregants, Practical Theology for Aging offers new concepts for ministering to our older population. Each chapter looks at a different concern for the elderly and addresses it with the assurance that aging is part of God's great work. From scientific models and case studies to passages from both the Old and New Testaments, this volume illuminates the power of faith in keeping the elderly whole and well. Practical Theology for Aging reveals several barriers to the spiritual wellness of our elders. These include society's stereotypical views of frailty and incompetence in older people, the lack of common support by communities of faith, and the dissatisfaction of the elderly with outdated, traditional answers to their concerns of aging, suffering, and death. Each barrier can be overcome by utilizing the practical theology you will find in this book. Restated throughout the volume is the message that the journey into old age does not have to be filled with dread and fear but can be seen as a path to spiritual maturity. This book has practical suggestions that address: God's purpose for agingwhy do we have to grow old? sexual health for senior citizens the suffering and physical debilitation that sometimes accompany aging afflictions like dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and how to minister to the unresponsive the inclusion of spirituality in rehabilitation to heal the whole person after catastrophic illness or injury preaching to senior citizens as opposed to preaching to a younger congregation so much more! Practical Theology for Aging presents tips and strategies for spiritual advisement as well as traditional quotes and references reminding us to respect and honor our aging men and women. Whether you are a religious leader, caretaker, family member, or esteemed elder, this book is vital for strengthening spirituality in the elderly and promoting their inclusion into the religious community.

Learn new approaches for strengthening the religious bonds of our aging population! Through Scripture, studies, and the personal experiences of religious leaders and congregants, Practical Theology for Aging offers new concepts for ministering to our older population. Each chapter looks at a different concern for the elderly and addresses it with the assurance that aging is part of God's great work. From scientific models and case studies to passages from both the Old and New Testaments, this volume illuminates the power of faith in keeping the elderly whole and well. Practical Theology for Aging reveals several barriers to the spiritual wellness of our elders. These include society's stereotypical views of frailty and incompetence in older people, the lack of common support by communities of faith, and the dissatisfaction of the elderly with outdated, traditional answers to their concerns of aging, suffering, and death. Each barrier can be overcome by utilizing the practical theology you will find in this book. Restated throughout the volume is the message that the journey into old age does not have to be filled with dread and fear but can be seen as a path to spiritual maturity. This book has practical suggestions that address: God's purpose for agingwhy do we have to grow old? sexual health for senior citizens the suffering and physical debilitation that sometimes accompany aging afflictions like dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and how to minister to the unresponsive the inclusion of spirituality in rehabilitation to heal the whole person after catastrophic illness or injury preaching to senior citizens as opposed to preaching to a younger congregation so much more! Practical Theology for Aging presents tips and strategies for spiritual advisement as well as traditional quotes and references reminding us to respect and honor our aging men and women. Whether you are a religious leader, caretaker, family member, or esteemed elder, this book is vital for strengthening spirituality in the elderly and promoting their inclusion into the religious community.

Find solace and wise counsel in these classics of spiritual gerontology In these days, when so many people live beyond the Biblical threescore and ten, the spiritual questing and questioning of the aged demands a meaningful response from clergy, family members, and nursing home staff. The essays and research studies reprinted in Religion and Aging: An Anthology of the Poppele Papers investigate the role of faith in older people's lives. Many of these classic studies have been updated with new information.These essays were originally published in the Quarterly Papers on Religion and Aging. This renowned journal was issued from 1984 to 1994 by the Poppele Center for Health and Welfare Studies at the Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri. The issues of spiritual gerontology discussed in that journal are still powerfully relevant today. Because back issues of the journal are not widely available, the cream of its ten-year history is being reissued in permanent form.Religion and Aging offers unfailing wisdom and insight in a broad range of issues, including: training clergy to be more responsive to the needs of older people a historical perspective on the meaning of "honoring thy father and mother" in first-century Judaism and Christianity the Psalms as a way to help nursing home residents deal with pain, loneliness, anger, and other difficult emotions original research into belief patterns of older Americans ways to give meaning to suffering suggested by the lives and works of Viktor Frankl, Martin Gray, and Rabbi Harold Kushner techniques of communicating with older people Religion and Aging is an invaluable resource to anyone who works with old people, whether in adult day-care programs, nursing homes, hospitals, or other senior citizens'groups. It will help chaplains, pastors, rabbis, and other clergy minister more effectively to the older members of their flock.