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February 4, 2022
THE U.P. CATHOLIC
www.upcatholic.org
How to help the elderly and those who serve them
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oon after he was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, Pope Saint John Paul II initiated the celebration of World Day of the Sick to show solidarity with the ill and their caregivers, and to encourage the faithful to pray for them. Thirty years later we still celebrate this special day each year on February 11. In preparation for the annual World Day of the Sick, the pope publishes a message setting a theme for the day. This year Pope Francis has given special recog- nition to caregivers: I think of all those physicians, nurses, laboratory technicians, the support staffand the caretakers of the sick as well as the numerous volunteers who donate their precious time to assist those who suffer. The pope is encouraging them to recognize the beauty of their mission. Dear healthcare workers, your service alongside the sick, carried out with love and compe- tence, transcends the bounds of your profession and becomes a mission, he wrote. Your hands, which touch the suffering flesh of Christ, can be a sign of the merciful hands of the Father. Be mindful of the great dignity of your profession, as well as the respon- sibility that it entails. I am grateful for Pope Francis encouraging words to healthcare workers, for they deserve our admira- tion and gratitude. As we enter into our third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am growing increasingly concerned about the devoted staffin our homes across the coun- try and around the world - and about the widespread shortage of caregivers in the field of elder care. The lack of qualified geriatric caregivers has already reached crisis proportions and is only growing worse. Older persons living in communal settings have suf- fered disproportionately during the pandemic, being stricken with COVID at higher rates than younger people, experiencing disruptions in their daily rou- tines and enduring long periods of isolation and separation from their loved ones. But geriatric caregivers have also borne a heavy burden, often working long shifts in understaffed, un- certain conditions, often while trying to care for their own family members at the same time. Attimesfrailseniorshavesufferedduetosting shortages caused both by caregiver sickness and a sig- nificant exodus of stafffrom many facilities across the country. In an article published in December 2021, Skilled Nursing Home News reported that since the beginning of the pandemic 14 percent of the skilled nursing workforce, or 220,000 care givers, has exited the profession. There was already a shortage of geriatric caregivers before the pandemic and, with a rapidly increasing population of seniors, experts in gerontology estimate that the need for qualified care staffwill increase by 2.5 million by 2030. An inadequate and unstable geri- atric workforce will definitely lead to higher costs and serious concerns about access and quality of care. It has long been said that a society can be measured by how it cares for its elderly citizens, and yet in Fratelli Tutti Pope Francis refers to the trashing of the world of the elderly in public opinion. In another recent Vatican document, we read: Those living in residential facilities deserve special attention: we hear terrible news about their condi- tions every day and thousands of people have already lost their lives. The concentration in the same place of somanyfrailindividualsandthedicultyoffinding protective equipment devices have created situations thatareverydiculttomanagenotwithstandingthe selflessness and, in some cases the sacrifice, of health- care personnel. Just as the elderly themselves, those serving seniors deserve special attention and support. This can take many forms: Lend your voice to advocacy for better training, wages and benefits for long-term care staff, better fi- nancing of long-term care and more positive working conditions,includingprovisionofsicientPPE; Take the opportunity to show caregivers esteem, appreciation and gratitude for all they do. Just as we thank members of the military for their service, thank caregivers for the indispensable service they render in society; Share with caregivers the message of Pope Francis about the dignity of their profession; Foster intergenerational encounters in your family and encourage young people to consider careers in geriatric healthcare. Finally, this February 11, please join me in praying for an end to the pandemic, for healing for the sick and the elderly and for the transformation of our so- ciety into a culture that will cherish every human life, no matter how old or how frail. Sister Constance Veit is director of communica- tions for the Little Sisters of the Poor.
GUEST COLUMN Sister Constance Veit
JUST AS WE THANK MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY FOR THEIR SERVICE, LET'S THANK CAREGIVERS FOR THE INDISPENSABLE SERVICE THEY RENDER IN SOCIETY.
A mother's enduring faith
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n Chapter VIII of his Confessions, Saint Augus- tine writes, For Thou, O our God, shalt lighten our darkness: from Thee riseth our garment of light; and then shall our darkness be as the noon day. This sentiment reveals Augustine's jour- ney from spiritual desolation to his discovery that fulfillment is only found in pursuit of a relationship with God. In his Confessions, Saint Augustine describes losing his way many times and for long periods throughout his life, but his story also demonstrates how God pur- sued a relationship with him and continually invited him to walk in the light of Christ. One of the great- est gifts God placed in Augustine's life was Saint Monica, his mother, a devout Christian who became a saint through the practice of an abiding faith. While Augustine strayed from the faith often in his youth and well into adulthood, Monica remained steadfast in her loyalty to God and continually in- vited her son and her husband, who was a pagan, to discover the joy of sacrificial love. Saint Monica epit- omized The Christophers' motto, It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness, because she never gave up hope and always chose to believe her loved ones could find their way. Monica's influence on Augustine, who became one of the greatest saints in Church history, and on her husband, who converted to Christianity on his deathbed, demonstrates the power of faith to trans- form the lives of those around us. The Christophers' recent prayer card captures this profound sentiment that faith can guide us to God and help us lead oth- ers along their own path to Christ. Our Faith Prayer Card articulates the language of the heart reaching out to God, and this was the type of faith Monica practiced as she continually spoke to God, in fervent prayer for the spiritual well-being of those she loved. In the opening of his Confessions, Augustine writes, Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee. These are the words of a man who had searched the world for happiness and found that only God could lead us to true and lasting joy. Imagine what a sense of reward his mother must have felt to know her son had come home to the faith. She lived to see him baptized by none other than Saint Ambrose, who had adopted Augustine as a spiritual son after the death of his father. Monica died in the same year Augustine was baptized, living to see the conversion of the two men she loved most in the world. What a triumph this was for her life of prayer and her patience in waiting on God to mold the hearts of those for whom she prayed. The story of Monica and Augustine demonstrates that faith and patience go hand in hand, because it is only in patience that we demonstrate our faith. We must have the courage to believe in God even when things dont work out exactly as we want. Faith is about knowing that God is at work in the world and is constantly guiding events to bring about the greater good. Only when we have that kind of faith can we focus on all we are called to do to play our part in God's plan of love for humanity. And when we exercise that kind of faith, we exercise the virtues that animated Saint Monica and her beloved son Saint Augustine. For a free copy of The Christophers' FAITH PRAYER CARD, write: The Christophers, 5 Ha- nover Square, New York, NY 10004; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org. a s c t e l a s
LIGHT ONE CANDLE Tony Rossi, The Christophers
St. Monica, pray for us!
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