Winding down and revving up

There have never been so many able older people alive at one time before.  What sort of approach to life do you need if you are going to be able to see old age as a potential time of growth, a time to look forward to with hope that contains the promise of insight and wisdom?

The popular media images of old age in our youth obsessed Western culture range from Depressing – it’s all downhill   

“Last scene of all,
that ends this strange eventful history
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything”

(from Shakespeare’s Seven Ages of Man)

through Ageist and Alarmist – “Old people hang on far too long – they bed block, use scarce resources - are a drain on financial resources”

(Why doesn’t society stress the value of carers – who save the Scottish Government and our taxes billions a year – or acknowledge the value of loving grandparents – or all those past 65 who are good neighbours, skilled farmers and gardeners, volunteers?) to the slightly bitterly humorous Victor Meldrew “grumpy old man” or the female version “I will still be me and will of course have more time to do things when I retire – mind you if my husband is about the house I am not sure I want twice the husband and half the money!”

Do other agencies offer us any hope that we should expect old age to be creative?   -  Well - not much!

Medicine is focussed on making people better, helping cure disease, but you cannot cure old age (which is very upsetting for medics!)  Our dis-ease at accepting the inevitability and naturalness of death as the end point of maturity is obvious, though the hospice movement has gone a long way to tackling this. 

Psychiatry and psychotherapy rest firmly on the foundations of child development and attachment theory and surprisingly little seems to have been done to see if there are patterns of development, of disintegration or individuation that could be expected as normal in healthy old age.  And it seems that few people over 65 are routinely referred for counselling or psychotherapy with the expectation of improvement.

Social work – much of this runs on Systems Theory and tries to help people adapt to the dominant society – to “fit in” to the system. Most intervention is in response to a crisis and having assessed the problem a solution is suggested perhaps a mobility aid or alarm call and with such coping mechanism in place, the case is then considered complete and set aside until the next problem arises. 

Of course we know that Occupational Therapists do help old people flourish and function as well as possible at home or in care.

Could it be that faith groups, who all value spiritual insights and wisdom, could be the ones who best see old age as a time for growth?  After all, the spiritual quest does not stop when we retire, in fact if we are lucky it hots up!

Participating in a recent workshop with Pilgrim Care in St Andrews Rev Peter Neilson told us a wonderful story that sums up the way the Christian faith can and should affect our perspective on old age.  He went to visit a parishioner who was old and dying and asked her tenderly how she was.  He got the wonderful reply:
“Well, I’m winding down… but I’m revving up”.

Living to a ripe old age is a gift, and of all the lifelong learning to be done, the pursuit of wisdom through the exercise of spiritual practices is an archetypal goal.  The hope of finding fulfilment, of making sense of life in the light of faith is a creative task, one well suited to old age. 

Mary Moffett

Values In Harmony

The Values in Harmony document is available from  Scottish Inter Faith Council 
–    see their website www.scottishinterfaithcouncil.org

“Whether a person practices religion or not, the spiritual qualities of love, compassion, patience, forgiveness, and humility are indispensable.”

 Dalai Lama

This Project asked Community Faith and Belief representatives to identify scriptures, teachings and attitudes from their particular tradition demonstrating values which would support the Golden Rule

“Treat others as you would expect to be treated.”

This rule is found in all religions and positive philosophy.

The main aim was to demonstrate the commonality of scriptures, teachings, and attitudes in ten Religions and Humanism that promote good community relations.

The emphasis was on the commonality of humanity that binds us all together on this planet, echoing Teilhard de Chardin’s words that we are all ultimately 

 “....spiritual beings, trying to express our humanity.”

Typical values identified were love, compassion, respect, justice, mercy, forgiveness, humility, respect for community and nature, concern for strangers, equality of men and women, and codes of moral conduct.
Two unique meetings were held when representatives  from Buddhism, Baha’i faith, Christianity, Church of the Latter-day Saints, Hinduism, Humanism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Paganism, and Sikhism came together over a shared meal to discuss the submitted material and the format of its presentation in a printed document.
The Project challenges religious extremism and the increasing tensions between secular society and faith. 

Focus groups were held twice with each of the Faiths and Beliefs to provide an opportunity for younger people and women in particular to discuss their representative’s findings. 

A secondary aim of the Project was to use the document to raise awareness in focus groups of young men and women of this commonality of Faith and Belief in promoting good community relations.

I was kindly given the opportunity to visit HNC classes in Forth Valley College of Further education for this purpose.   Most of the students, average age 23 years, were not aware of the Golden rule, and all felt quite strongly that religion was the cause of war and disharmony.   They now understood these teachings as promoting the opposite, but they were very vocal in saying that politics and our own selfish egos were responsible for not following this Golden Rule.   Hence the relevance of the Dalai Lama’s words: “Whether a person practices religion or not, the spiritual qualities of love, compassion, patience, forgiveness, and humility are indispensable.”


The Project was funded by the Equality and Human Rights Commission under its “Promoting Good Relations” stream and was managed by the Scottish Inter Faith Council.  The document was officially launched in March 2009 and commended by Fergus Ewing, MSP, and Minister for Community Safety.       

Geoff Lachlan, 
Health Development Officer


In these days of constant change the fact that so many people have such a depth and length of life experience is to be cherished.  It is a huge asset. 

The Golden Rule should inform all our dealings with the oldest members of our society.  But while all of us have been younger than we are now, none of us have been older, and so do not know from our own experience how they would like to be treated, we can only guess. 

So we must ask!

We must consult the older people in our families and neighbourhoods, our hospitals, care homes and churches.  When dealing with older people with dementia we must make the greatest efforts to find out what lifts their spirits and avoid what crushes them – the “do as you would be done by” Golden Rule in this context involves a leap of imagination and a firm commitment to compassionate care.

Mary Moffett
Faith In Older People

The Stories of Our Elders by Michael Williams

My dad died six years ago. I miss him, for a number of reasons, but mostly because I miss his stories.  He was of that generation for whom the phrases 'The Depression' and 'The War' evoked powerful memories and stories.  Even as a kid, I loved those stories, invariably begun with the words, “When I was your age . . .” or “You think it's bad now, well back in the Depression . . .” or “I'll never forget that summer in 1942.”

Dad's stories of his childhood and teen years were usually funny, perhaps not what you'd expect of such a serious and challenging time; yet they reflected the resilience of his generation to deal with suffering and deprivation.

To my brothers, sister and I, Dad's stories conjured up hilarious images of him and his friends getting into trouble or inventing ways of making a few pennies.  As I got older and took up the study of history and literature, I appreciated that Dad and Mom, my aunts, uncles and grandparents were a living connection to past events that I was reading about in my textbooks or watching in film documentaries at school.  Yet those histories focused on leaders, generals and dictators, while my Dad's stories were about ordinary people like me.

As a storyteller, I treasure the memories and stories of our elders.  They are living history.  Yet it saddens me to see so many of the old folk out of sight behind nursing home walls, often forgotten by our society so enamored with youth and celebrity culture.  I'm heartened every time a caring nurse or volunteer organises a storytelling event or when a school sends its pupils into a nursing home to talk with or record the life stories of its residents.  We need these stories.  Not only do they link us to the past, but they are good for our health and mental well-being.  Research reveals that sharing stories stimulates the brains of even senile patients, the neural pathways sparking to life with words, images, feelings and memories.  And it's not only the elders who benefit. Research in America also suggests that adolescents who know the stories of their parents and grandparents are less likely to suffer from depression and other mental illness.

We need the stories of our elders.

Years ago, I remember attending a family reunion in Canada of relatives on my Dad's side.  It took place on my Dad's uncle's farm, the same farm where our great-great grandfather had settled after arriving from England in the early nineteenth century.  On the table in the dining room was a large birthday cake. It was dedicated to my ancestor: he would have been 200 years old!  At the time, I thought my relatives were a little strange.  Today, I can appreciate their sentiment. Without him, none of us would have been there.  The stories flowed that day along with the iced tea and beer: stories of farming, storms, births, deaths, accidents, friendships . . . the stories of everyday life.

Yes, I miss my Dad and those who've passed on in our family.  I miss their stories.  But I am grateful for my memories.  They live on in the stories I tell. Our elders' stories are out there waiting to be listened to.  We can't afford to waste this natural resource.  Our elders are a wellspring of stories.  Make the time to listen and nourish yourself and them.

Michael Williams, Ph.D.
Storyteller & Education Consultant
Prestonpans, East Lothian
iamthestoryteller@gmail.com

The Spiritual Challenge Of Dementia by John Killick

Dementia raises fundamental questions of life and death, what it means to be human, and which are the values we should hold as most precious. These values could be considered to involve the spiritual in its widest sense.

It seems clear that the decline of reasoning ability, almost universally noted as one of most obvious consequences of the development of Alzheimer’s, releases in some individuals emotional and creative capacities which may previously have been hidden. This forces us to confront the person in their essential self, and gives us the opportunity to value them for this rather than for any other qualities (economic, political, intellectual) which society has pushed into the foreground. This self manifests itself in terms of such virtues as honesty, spontaneity and the capacity to live to the full in the moment rather than clouding it with concerns of past or future.

I will illustrate this idea with a quote each from a carer and a person with dementia.  The carer is an American, Beverly Murphy, who says:

If you believe in the concept of a soul, then you have to believe that the soul doesn’t get Alzheimer’s any more than it gets cancer.

…..Maybe, just maybe, our people have the unique experience of being able to live in two worlds, ours and a freer one that allows them access to insights and awareness we can’t even begin to fathom.

And the person with dementia is Christine Boden, an Australian:

This unique essence of ‘me’ is at my core, and this is what will remain with me to the end. I will be perhaps even more truly ‘me’ than I have ever been.

In the writings and speeches of persons with dementia and their carers there are an increasing number of instances of statements of this kind. It may well be that not only have we much to learn from them about how this most mysterious of mental health conditions affects individuals, but there is knowledge of the nature of the spiritual to be imparted as well. In the coming months I and my colleague Kate Allan hope to be exploring these, and a number of other profound concepts (communication, creativity for example) in a series of workshops for this organization.

Beverly Murphy (2004) in Voices of Alzheimer’s ed.
Betsy Peterson Da Capo Press, Cambridge MA USA  p.163  
Christine Boden (1997) Who Will I Be When I Die?
 Harper Collins London  p. 49-50

FiOP is delighted that John Killick, one of our valued trainers, has been appointed as Writer in Residence with Alzheimer's Scotland.

In addition he will also be acting as the facilitator for an improvised drama group attached to the Scottish Dementia Working Group based in Glasgow and Dundee, with effect from November 2009.
This work has been enabled through a grant from the Lottery.'

The power of music

Enjoyment of music is a powerful way of lifting the spirit, and music is often used in creative activities with elderly people and people with dementia.  Now a new study has found that listening to certain tunes from your past evokes powerful and vivid memories that appear to be immune from Alzheimer’s disease.

A team from the University of California, led by Professor Petr Janata, has discovered that the section of the brain which is associated with music is also associated with our most vivid memories.  It is also the region of the brain which seems to be the most immune from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. 
“Memory for autobiographically important music seems to be spared in people with Alzheimer’s disease,” Prof Janata said, and one of his long-term goals is “to use this research to help develop music-based therapy for people with the disease.”

“Providing patients with MP3 players and customized playlists could prove to be a quality-of-life improvement strategy that would be both effective and economical.”

“What seems to happen is that a piece of familiar music serves as a soundtrack for a mental movie that starts playing in our head.”

“It calls back memories of a particular person or place, and you might all of a sudden see that person’s face in your mind’s eye.  Now we can see the association between these two things – the music and the memories.”

(The study “The Neural Architecture of Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories” is published in the journal Cerebral Cortex.)

The Need For The ‘Outdoor Room’

We are told that the number of people with dementia will increase enormously over the next 20 years, and yet many care homes and hospitals do not provide access to usable and / or appropriate outdoor space. In fact, many people with dementia become virtual prisoners once they are in ‘care’ for their disability.
Although the benefits of both access to outdoor space and the physical activity in gardening are generally appreciated, still these are all too often denied – maybe due to the needs for savings in a building project or concerns over ‘health and safety’ in undertaking what are after all the activities of normal living. I feel passionately that all people and in particular older people and those with dementia should have the freedom of access to the outdoors, to feel sunlight, breezes, rain and to enjoy pottering or gardening at their leisure.

Having been sponsored by the Dementia Services Development Centre at the University of Stirling to go on a course in the design of healing gardens held at the Chicago Botanic Gardens, I am contributing to and editing a book to be written by the DSDC team of experts on the benefits of easily accessible outdoor space. 

We aim to cover best practice for all outdoor areas including balconies (extracts from Mary Marshall’s book), terraces, courtyards, and larger scale gardens.

[see article in FiOP’s last newsletter]
Courtyards in particular are much used in larger scale developments as they provide safe, supervised open space as well as daylight to buildings with a large footprint, yet I suspect that many are far too small to be useful for activities or to provide sufficient sunlight.



To help us with this task, we would appreciate any feedback from your readers on good or bad examples of outdoor space generally and in particular on courtyard size and design.

Annie Pollock
Architect and Landscape Architect

My contact email is
annie@arterre.co.uk

see also website:
http://www.arterre.co.uk

“Spiritual Reflections” : Multi – Faith And Belief Prayer Resource Project

BACKGROUND
Following the dissemination of the Fair For All Religion and Belief Project document, Religion and Belief Matter – An Information Resource For All Healthcare Staff, it became clear that there was a need for some form of multi-faith and belief orientated resource of prayers, readings, and inspiring / comforting poetry. This request came from Healthcare Chaplains, Faith representatives, the Humanist Society, and both staff and patients.

THE PROJECT
It is proposed to develop such a resource, by forming a collaborative working group of Healthcare Chaplains, Faith and Belief leaders, and representatives from both staff and patients. Use would be made of the already established network of Chaplains, Faith and Belief representatives and Focus Group leaders from the Religion and Belief Project. This would ensure diverse grassroot patient need is matched with the aspirations of Healthcare Chaplains and other staff in delivering inclusive Spiritual Care through such a resource. The Project will be hosted by the Scottish Inter Faith Council, an organisation that has worked collaboratively in Healthcare Chaplaincy Development with NHS Education on the Religion and Belief Project.

PROJECT LEAD
The Project Lead would be Dr. Geoff Lachlan, who ran the fair For All Religion and Belief Project, and who is currently still active in supporting Healthcare Chaplaincy through the Scottish Inter Faith Council in Glasgow.

BENEFICIARIES
Most importantly, this is to be a resource for Healthcare Chaplains and hence it will be crucial to ensure they have the lead in developing it. The resource would also be of benefit to the wider Spiritual Care Team, Chaplaincy Volunteers, Faith representatives and Faith communities. Staff would find the resource useful too, as care of their spirit is also of concern to the NHS. As an inclusive collaborative project between diverse patient groups, Faith and Belief leaders, and frontline NHS staff (Healthcare Chaplains) this would promote good relations across the NHS, and enhance the “Patient Experience.”

FORMAT
Initially to be produced as a book, it will also be developed into CD, DVD, and leaflet formats, with the ability for individual Health Boards to adapt it to their own needs.

TIMESCALE
The Project will run for two years:

Year 1 : Working group to collaborate in the compilation and production of the
             resource.
Year 2 : The resource then to be developed into various formats as above.

MANAGEMENT
The Project will be managed by the Programme Director for Healthcare Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care in NHS Education Edinburgh, but hosted by the Scottish Inter Faith Council. This Organisation would provide Faith contact support to the Project.


EXAMPLE OF REQUEST FROM A HEALTHCARE CHAPLAIN:

“I think that a multi faith prayer resource would be a good thing to have. At present I have in the chapel a copy of 'the interfaith prayer book' which is useful but not specifically meant for a health care setting.

I would like to see a digest of prayers and meditations from the different faiths, and from the humanist tradition, designed to address particular things like hope, struggle, questioning, suffering, strength.....as well as joy and thanksgiving. Materials would need to be identified by representatives of the different traditions themselves, who would have a nuanced insight into what a particular prayer meant to those within that tradition. As I write this, I am actually surprised that such a thing doesn’t exist already, it seems so obvious. I like the idea that any person walking into any chapel or quiet room in any major hospital in Scotland could find the same resource.”

(Rev. Georgina Nelson, Healthcare Chaplain, Lothian NHS Board)



EWAN KELLY, NHS Education, Edinburgh.
GEOFF LACHLAN, Scottish Inter Faith Council, Glasgow,
April 2009.

DETAILS OF KEY PERSONNEL INVOLVED

HOST:

PRAMILA KAUR,
Chief Executive,
Scottish Inter Faith Council,
523, Shields Road,
Glasgow,
G41 2RF.

0141 420 6982            pkaur@scottishinterfaithcouncil.org


MANAGER:

EWAN KELLY,
Programme Director for Healthcare Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care,
91, Haymarket Terrace,
Edinburgh,
EH12 5HD.

0131 313 8000            ewan.kelly@nes.scot.nhs.uk
 

HEALTH DEVELOPMENT OFFICER:

GEOFF LACHLAN,
Health Development Officer,
Scottish Inter Faith Council,
c/o
19, Kidlaw Crescent,
Alloa,
FK10 2UT.

01259 222782             geoff.faith@talktalk.net

Scottish StoryTelling eBulletin Jan 2010

100 Not Out: New study hopes to tap into the secrets of centenarians

It used to be a very exclusive club, but centenarians - people aged 100 years or more - are one of the fastest-growing demographics in much of the western world. Indeed, the number of centenarians around the world is projected to increase to 2.2 million by 2050, compared with 145,000 in 1999. The Office for National Statistics midyear estimates (2006) show that we have 9,000 centenarians in the United Kingdom.

While advances in medical science have long been regarded as the main source of our increasing longevity, recent studies have revealed that several distinctive lifestyle choices are also important to reaching the century mark. Researchers Tina Koch, Pam Smith and Nimmi Hutnik from the University of Surrey are keen to further investigate some of the 'lifestyle secrets' to living a long and healthy life.

Researchers said the aim is to explore the experience of life transitions - the major emotional, environmental and physical changes - of 24 United Kingdom residents who have reached 100 years of age. So they are looking for centenarian volunteers who would like to tell their story about living a long life and are willing to have their life histories documented and published in a book.

It is hoped the study can not only provide the United Kingdom's ageing population with an insight into living a long and healthy life, but also help to prepare the population for the very real possibility that many of us are going to live for a lot longer than we realised.

For further information or to nominate or volunteer someone for the project, please contact Professor Tina Koch, University of Surrey on 01483 684 552 or t.koch@surrey.ac.uk. Professor Pam Smith, University of Edinburgh, can also be contacted on 07881 570 954 or pam.smith@ed.ac.uk.
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Scottish International Symposium for Storytelling as a Healing Art
June 13th to 19th 2010
This is a week long residential course to share ideas and practice on Storytelling as a Healing Art.