Positive Aging and Health
Conference on Ministry with the Aging
Positive Aging and Health
• Beyond the Medical Model
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Dimensional Ontology
Symbols of transcendence
Gero Transcendence
Spiritual Thickness
• Impact of Spirituality on Health
– Physical health
– Coping
– Health promotion
• Health Promotion Drawing
Beyond the Medical Model
• The truth is that as the struggle for survival
has subsided, the question has emerged:
survival for what?”
(Viktor Frankl 1979 Unheard Cry for meaning p. 21)
– It is the whole person that is aging
Dimensional Ontology
Frankl, V. E. (1988). The will to meaning: Foundations and applications
of logotherapy. New York: A Meridian Book. 23
Is Growing Old worth one’s whole
life to attain?
• Growing old is about more than the
physical process of birthdays
• When we talk to most seniors, they will tell
you that happiness is more important than
longevity.
– How many of you would choose to end life in
extreme pain, or with Alzheimer’s Disease?
– If we can learn from the dying, what is it that is
of ultimate importance?
Meaning
• Where do you find meaning?
– Your life is a series of experiences
– When you tell someone one of your experiences, it
becomes a story
• Stories have a beginning and an end
• Stories are personal
– With in important stories there is a meaning.
– Meanings are:
• Transcendent
• Intended to be shared
Transcendence
• Symbols of transcendence
– Symbols within the Judeo-Christian traditions
– Symbols that are made up through
experience
– Symbols can be cohort related
• Responsibility of Transcendence
– To give it away
Gero-Transcendence
• A “time of gero-transcendence in which
individuals gradually experience a new
understanding of fundamental existential
questions – often a cosmic communication
with the spirit of the universe and a
redefinition of the self and relationships
with others.
(Lars Tornstan “Gerotranscendence in a Broad Cross-Sectional Perspective” Journal of Aging and
Identity. Vo. 2 # 1, 1977.)
• A riddle, “Why is grandpa always reading
the Bible?”
Spiritual Thickness
• How thick are your spiritual resources?
• “In order to confront the question and
challenges of older adulthood, a person
must be girded by a “thickness’ of spiritual
resources. In other words, the transition to
older adulthood must first be made in the
spiritual dimension.”
Kimble, M. (2001) “Beyond the Medical Paradigm” Journal of Religious Gerontology,
vol 12 ¾, p. 39.
Spiritual Thickness Exercise
• With the crayons provided draw two pictures. You are
walking down a street and you see two persons.
• Picture 1: A person who seems to have spiritual
thickness
• Picture 2: Someone who clearly does not
• Once the pictures have been drawn turn to 3-4 of the
people around you, share you pictures and identify the
traits of a person who has spiritual thickness
• Remember the rules:
– Share your crayons
– Don’t eat the crayons
– Never laugh at anyone else’s artistic talents!
4 things
Religion contributes 4 things
1. Prayer matters (See: Harold Koenig, Larry
Dorsey)
2. People use religion as a coping mechanism
(See: Harold Koenig, Ken Pargament)
3. Human values and ethics are often learned
from religion. In this way religions are often
involved in cultural transition as well.
4. Religions Congregations provide social
services (See: Tobin, Ellor, Anderson-Ray)
Religion Impacts Health
• Religious activity is associated with longer life,
particularly when the person is involved in
community
• There is an association between religion and
adaptation to medical illness
• Religious activity is associated with better
compliance with antihypertensive therapy.
• Religiously involved persons are less likely to
engage in risky health behaviors, such as
smoking.
Religion and Mental Health
• Level of religious commitment predicts
speed of recovery from depression
• Correlates with adaptation to disability
• Over 850 studies have been made to
examine the correlation between
mental health and religion and the
majority of those studies find positive
associations with better outcomes for
those who are religious.
Religion and Coping
• Offering religious help to others, prayer, is
most powerful predictor of quality of life.
• Reappraising God as benevolent
• Collaborating with God
• Seeking a connection with God
• Reframing theodicy
• Turning to clergy at times of crisis
Best resources for these concepts: Pargament, K. I. (1997). The psychology of religion
and coping. New York: Guilford Press.
Religion and the Immune System
• Religion can be up lifting for cancer
patients
• Religion can offer a new focus, on life
rather than on the disease
• Religion can bring support from others
that also provides an up lifting
emotions
• Religion can provide symbols that can
be uplifting even at those quiet times
when others are not around for
support.
Health Behavior Change
• Knowledge: the more you know, the more you can
recognize the nature of the problems.
• Self-concept: We tend to behave in ways that make us
feel better about our self as a person
• Group support: The amount and nature of support can
solve health problems
• Value orientation: Our awareness of what we value affect
our decisions on health behaviors.
• Sense of control: The degree to which we feel we can
really change our health affects what we do
• Cultural Traditions: Our culture teaches us certain beliefs
and options and prevents us from our own health.
“drunks are funny” “clean your plate” “seeking emotional
help is a sign of weakness.”
•
Reed-Flora & Lang, (1982) Health Behaviors. West publishing.
Religion and Health Promotion
• Models in local churches in audience
– Health Cabinet
– Parish Nurse
– Emotional support at times of crisis
– Church groups that provide support
– Role models of survivors
– Role models of how to cope
A final thought
• Growing up, growing old, but always
growing may be the key to healthy aging.