The annual Day for Life, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the meaning and value of human life at every stage, was celebrated in Ireland on Sunday, with the focus on “caring for the older person”.
In a message to parishes, the Irish Catholic Bishops referred to how the Covid pandemic highlighted the “desperate plight” of many older people, especially those in care homes and those struggling with long-term chronic conditions such as dementia.
“They carried the highest burden which included prolonged isolation, the distress for families being unable to visit, delayed medical interventions and tragic, isolated, deaths followed by shortened, minimal, funeral rites. Many family members and friends continue to bear the wound of deep grief which hurts and is still in need of healing,” the bishops said.
There are many challenges to be faced including the way in care is provided for older persons, its cost and the means of payment, the shortage of staff in care homes, the time and energy needed to help older people feel valued and wanted.
“Many feel they have become a burden or can feel treated as a burden, a ‘bed-blocker’, or a nuisance because they move more slowly, struggle with more physical challenges and live a different rhythm of life. They often feel vulnerable and worry, when they hear talk about and even concrete proposals for the legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia. We share their concerns. In better valuing older persons, we need to find new ways of building bridges by our actions.”
Pope Francis has made care for the elderly a theme of his pontificate. In his Catechesis on Old Age, he said: “The alliance between generations, which restores all ages of life to the human, is our lost gift and we have to get it back. It must be found, in this throwaway culture and in the culture of productivity.”
He continued: “The arrogance of the time on the clock must be converted into the beauty of the rhythms of life.”
The Irish bishops said: “We invite people to think again about the value and worth of older persons in families and in society, and to make practical choices to build bridges between the generations. We call for people and parishes to devote quality time, energy and creativity in caring for the older persons in our communities.”
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