While dioceses and parishes are doing
a better job of addressing the needs of seniors, in general the scope of
that service has not yet broadened to include support for caregivers.
Simply put, the Church hasn’t caught up with you yet. You are a
pioneer—a trailblazer. Where you are leading, the institutional Church
is beginning to follow. There will come a day when every parish will
offer support for caregivers. When that day arrives, pro-life offices
will offer material on caregiving, including how to help caregivers.
Respect Life Sunday sermons will feature this unique ministry, and at
those Masses caregivers will be remembered in the prayers of the
faithful.
This will happen in large part
because of the work you are doing today. Your legacy will include
helping not only families, communities, and the workforce find ways to
assist caregivers, but the Church, too. You are making the challenge of
caregiving less daunting for future generations of caregivers.
Here is what the American bishops
have said about caregivers, along with some suggestions for how a parish
can help its caregivers right now. This is from the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops’ "Blessings of Age: A Pastoral
Message on Growing Older within the Faith Community" (1999):
We know that caregivers themselves
need care. The responsibilities of caregiving can be emotionally and
physically exhausting. Some of you are simultaneously caring for
children and older relatives. Many of you are employed; some of you have
had to adjust work schedules. Finances can be a serious concern. Some of
you who are priests and religious are also dealing with these issues.
You have a right to expect support from:
Your Faith Community
The parish has a responsibility to
provide spiritual and other support for caregivers, for example, by
helping to form support groups for caregivers, referring you to
community resources, sponsoring adult education programs that deal with
issues of particular concern to caregivers, or periodically recognizing
and blessing caregivers.
Too often, however, as a Church and
as a society we have not provided adequately for the needs of
caregivers. As more people provide care—and as more people receive
care for longer periods of time—we must respond to this new reality.
We must look for ways to support caregivers who are themselves growing
older, who are trying to balance multiple responsibilities, and who can
expect to provide care for a number of years. Respite care is one
possibility to explore.
"Blessings of Age" is
available through the publishing department of the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
by calling (1-800) 235-8722; from outside the United States or in the
Washington, DC, metropolitan area, dial (202) 722-8716. The text of
"Blessings of Age" is also available on the USCCB Web site at www.usccb.org/laity/blessings/english.shtml.
