Elders in the Community

ELDERS IN THE COMMUNITY

28/2/2018

Look around at all those who are truly ageing joyfully and they will all have one thing in common – they will be actively involved in the community in one way or another, whether it be continuing in paid employment long past the ‘official’ retirement age, volunteering in schools, hospitals, aged care homes and the like, or pursuing their own projects.
As one writer shares “Coming out of retirement and volunteering is one of the wisest choices, if not the wisest choice, I have made during my lifetime, which has resulted in me living a very joyful and fulfilled final stage of my life”.

Some writers tried what they considered ‘retirement’ for a while but as Elizabeth shares, “I began to notice how insular I had become and how my life was lacking purpose”. . .

“Slowly, I came to realise what was missing in my life was any kind of engagement that made a contribution to society. No matter what position or job we hold we all make our unique and invaluable contribution to what makes up the tapestry we call life”.

If we stay actively engaged in some way until our last breath, our elder years can be a time of new learning, new experiences and new beginnings, a time to reflect on our life and how the choices we have made in the past have made us who we are today. It is also a time to appreciate the wisdom we have gained through our life experiences and to share this with others.

MY JOURNEY AS A VOLUNTEER

27/2/2018

When I retired from paid employment I felt that I needed to look for something else, as I did not want to become stagnant. I joined a walking club and we did some beautiful walks round Rotorua and beyond. I also did a massage course, which was a real morale booster for me. Over the years I have had so much pleasure doing massages as well as meeting amazing people through my work as a volunteer.

THE TENDER TOUCH

30/11/2017

Now retired, I volunteer in a local hospital doing hand and foot massages. Most of the patients are elderly and frail and I love this opportunity to share this tender contact. Their skin so soft and delicate, I wonder at the use these hands have been put to over the many years, the love they have held, the work they have done and the surrender that age is now imposing.

AGE IS ONLY A NUMBER

31/10/2017

Why is it that just when we have accumulated a deeper understanding of living and have experienced the ebb and flow of life that it is considered normal, or expected of us, that we should retire and not share our elder wisdom with those who are still finding their way in the world? We have done the ‘doing’ and now is the opportunity to inspire others with the joy of ‘being’ in whatever you choose to do.

GIRL TO WOMAN FESTIVAL, TENTERFIELD

29/9/2017

After the successful Girl to Woman (G2W) Festival held at Lennox Head in February 2017, the Aunties and Elders who came from Tenterfield with a group of aboriginal girls, asked if a similar Festival could be held in their town. After much planning by a dedicated group of volunteers the date was set for Sunday 27th August.

A GENTLE TOUCH OF LOVE

1/8/2017

I am a Palliative Care Volunteer in the hospital in a small town just eight minutes from home. I have enjoyed volunteering for the past two years and my favorite time is when I get to sit and listen to the patients and families as they reflect on their lives so openly. I respect and appreciate the trust and love that the patients and their families show.

LAUGHTER AND LOVE IN THE HOSPICE

30/7/2017

I had never been inside a hospice but I imagined it would be a very sad and depressing place to be. Somewhere where people just went to die.
I had attended workshops and Sacred Esoteric Healing courses with Universal Medicine, studied courses in Anatomy & Physiology and Diet and Nutrition, became a practitioner member of the Esoteric Practitioners Association.

STAYING ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY AS WE AGE

12/5/2017

Unfortunately my work history has been influenced by many factors. Some are historical and others I have realised are due to my life-long fear of being ‘out in the world’ which started in kindergarten. I grew up in the 1940s and ‘50s and married in the ‘60s. I completed two years of a four year General Nursing Course in my late teens and because I chose to marry at twenty the rule of the day was woman who married had to leave their profession.

RETIREMENT – NOT an OPTION!

29/4/2017

A few years ago I moved house to Somerset in the UK. I downsized my garden, and my house, to live in an area where I knew a few people, but no blood family. I had lived in my previous house for over thirty-three years and in the local area for over thirty-seven.
Up to that point, I had lived a very full life in a variety of occupations and as a full-time mother in between.

Elders and Aunties at the girl to woman festival

31/3/2017

One of the joys of being an Elder is that there are so many opportunities to continue to play an active role in the community for as long as you feel to. There will always be community events where we can contribute our wisdom and our lived experience for the support of others, both young and old! We just have to be open to recognising the opportunities when they come.

<<Previous

All written content copyright © 2016 Anne McRitchie, Rowena Parkes and all Authors as mentioned.
Photos copyright © by the photographers: Alan Johnston, Clayton Lloyd, Dean Whitling, Desiree Delaloye, Iris Pohl, Steffi Henn, Steve Leca