A duty of care

One of my favourite people in the world is a little old lady down my road. She’s 87, housebound, in constant pain and utterly reliant on carers (paid and unpaid). Her days largely revolve around her somewhat overweight cat and the television (In The Night Garden and Heart Beat being particular favourites). Yet a more vibrant human being you are unlikely to find. Her sharp wit, political opinions, biblical reflections and engaging stories of years gone by never fail to bring a smile to my face. And if I am having a hard day, I like nothing better than to curl up on one of her old armchairs and soak in her advice. She’s been alive more than double the number of years I have so it’s not a great surprise that she has mastered the sort of wisdom that still eludes me!

The trouble is, she is just the kind of person who news reports say we are failing here in the UK. While some elderly people receive excellent support, others it seems have to endure standards of “care” that indicate that the old and infirm are barely seen as human by some. A saddening and sickening fact.

The Bible encourages us to aspire to much higher standards of care when it comes to the elderly. It acknowledges that old age is a time of vulnerability (Psalm 71:9). And encourages all people to honour their parents (Exodus 20:12) – including setting a precedent for caring for them in their frailer years (Genesis 45:9-11). It was the custom of the early church to tend to the needs of widows who had no family of their own (1 Tim 5:3-8). And we are all exhorted to support any fellow-believer in need as part of the natural outworking of our faith (Matthew 25:31-46), not forgetting to look to the needs of unbelievers too (Luke 10:25-37). Which all in all means that Christians are called to be passionate about supporting, honouring and encouraging the many in our churches and communities who have age-related struggles.

When the duty of care falls on a small minority, the burden can be immense. We shouldn’t be naive about the pressures that can bring. But when shared out among a community of believers, the duty can become a joy. In our next post, we’ll be looking at some practical hints on how to do just that ...