Grandparenting

Old Easter

By Alex Drew | 06/04/2020

**Written before coronavirus enforced church closures** Easter is a time to remember, rejoice and proclaim to all, that Christ is risen. Churches swell with irregular attendees both young and old.…

How can I listen to a church talk if I don’t use the internet ?

By Alex Drew | 02/04/2020

Do you remember when some churches had cassette libraries for all the recorded sermons? Now everything is online, but how do you access this if you don’t have the internet?…

What can we learn from ‘the older generation’ about rationing?

By Alex Drew | 31/03/2020

Those over 80 were children in the 1940s: they may remember air raids, evacuation, sudden trauma and loss. They said ‘keep calm and carry on’, and their learned what it…

Hope amidst Coronavirus

By Alex Drew | 30/03/2020

  ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the…

The Second Naivete

By Alex Drew | 27/03/2020

Youth is something of an obsession in Western societies; even within the church there seems to be a disproportionate amount of effort focused on young people. But, while engaging the…

Look up, look out, look back, look down: ideas to keep you going

By Alex Drew | 25/03/2020

Gillian Phillips writes: We are not in control of many things at the moment, but we don’t need to feel out of control. We have no choice but to be…

Tackling anxiety and fear in the Coronavirus Pandemic

By Alex Drew | 25/03/2020

Louise Morse shares some great ways for helping us manage during isolation and social upheaval. Isolation is not natural for human beings, writes Louise Morse – we are not designed…

The mental health risks of isolation – and how we can help each other.

By Alex Drew | 24/03/2020

Even before ‘social distancing’, research showed that more than a quarter of older people living alone have a mental health condition, and are 50% more likely to go to A&E…

What about older people who aren’t online?

By Alex Drew | 23/03/2020

What is digital poverty, and what does it mean in a time of crisis? Betty is 99 and daily uses her iPad, sending and receiving emails. But she is probably…

Principles for caring for those with dementia during Coronavirus – by someone who knows

By Alex Drew | 20/03/2020

As so much changes, amidst the Coronavirus crisis, there are a number of things we can do to help people living with dementia or cognitive decline – or indeed to…