Posts by Ruth Preston
You are Not Forgotten | Hope is Not Lost
Over 65s are said to fear loneliness more than COVID-19 this Christmas after a difficult year of self-isolating, shielding, and being physically cut off from their loved ones. According to a nationwide poll, more than half of over-65s are worried about spending Christmas this year without their families. And 1.7 million older people expect…
Read MoreNovember 2020
November 2020 Reaching, serving and empowering older people Welcome to this November Faith in Later Life newsletter where we will be sharing updates and news, signposting to new resources, and highlighting opportunities for you get involved with. As ever we welcome all your feedback, and hope you’re enjoying the new format for our news…
Read MoreWith God, it is never too late
Faith in Later Life Church Champion Mavis has shared with us before about her ministry with older people (you can read more here). But Mavis had so many wonderful stories of encouragement that we couldn’t limit ourselves to just one blog post! So, here we are again sharing more uplifting stories of God working in…
Read MoreAdvance Care Planning and End of Life Care
People in the fourth age (those over 80) may need support and encouragement to look forward and consider future decisions regarding their health, care, and potential or likely treatments. Whether the person is active, struggling with long-term conditions or is housebound or frail, making informed decisions regarding future care is important; encouraging people in the…
Read MoreOctober 2020
 October 2020 Reaching, serving and empowering older people Welcome to this October Faith in Later Life newsletter where we will be sharing updates and news, signposting to new resources, and highlighting opportunities for you get involved with. This month you will have noticed we have changed the format of our newsletter, we hope you…
Read MoreOlder people are the archives of the church
Singing hymns to God in our church We recently had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Reverend Tom from Kenya. Reverend Tom has been diligently serving the older people in his church and wider community throughout this challenging time of lockdown and was kind enough to share with us about the work he has…
Read MoreSpirituality and the over 80s
For many older people, faith and religion are important aspects of their spirituality – allowing the person to hold onto real meaning in their life, have confidence in their personhood, and providing hope for the future. It is interesting that the science of gerontology now recognises that spirituality can help older people hold onto…
Read MoreSpiritual Care at End of Life
Spirituality and religion are not synonymous with each other. Whilst religious aspects of a person’s life will usually involve and affect their spirituality, there are many people whose spirituality has nothing to do with religion or religious beliefs. Spirituality involves everything which gives purpose and meaning to an individual – whether an emotional response, intellectual…
Read MoreTen Simple Ways Churches Can Support People Living with Dementia and Their Families
For most people, living with Dementia can have a huge emotional, psychological, and practical impact on a person. Many people living with the condition feel a sense of loss regarding normal social interactions and relationships, in addition to the challenge of adjusting to a new way of life. The aim of this blog post is…
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