Celebrate the Harvest: A Guide to the Spiritual Needs and Religious Life of Older Adults

Aging is more than a biological process, it's also very much a spiritual one. When speaking of the spiritual, the author is referring to that which is without physical substance as compared to that which is bodily or material -- not one compartment of life, but the deepest dimension of all life. The term “spiritual” is used throughout the text as the ultimate ground of all our questions, all our hopes, all our dreams, and all our loves. For the older adult, it is the effort to deal creatively with retirement and to find a purpose -- a goal -- for one’s life now that the family has been raised and the house has so much more space than is needed. It is the struggle with the loss of one’s spouse, or the move from a home of many years and many memories. It is questions of self-worth. It is the apprehension of reaching out to initiate new friendships. It is the discovery of yet-to-be-revealed talents, deeper peace, and wider boundaries of love. All of these are spiritual concerns, for spirituality encompasses the entire human person in all of his or her needs, wishes, aspirations, and relationships.

​

While many cultures venerate their elders, this is not the usual practice in Western cultures where youth is most often fetishized and the elderly are often removed from an active community life and relegated to senior’s housing and nursing homes. In Western cultures, we idolize youth and beauty and casually dismiss or abandon seniors who no longer exhibit these fleeting attributes. Aging is often depicted in a negative light. All too often, older adults are viewed as a burden on society rather than celebrated for the incredible gifts and talents, which they have to offer. These ageist attitudes, prevalent in our Western societies, can prevent older adults from living life to the fullest.

This book, Celebrate the Harvest, provides an introduction to the spiritual needs and religious life of older adults. A growing body of research is demonstrating that, for older adults in particular, religious and spiritual practices may be positively associated with improved physical and mental health, increased longevity, and stronger social support systems.

With that in mind, for health and social service providers who are involved with or interested in services for older adults, the text provides an introduction to the practices of the faith arising from the Mediterranean -- the Abrahamic religions -- namely Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

This well-researched text is written from a Christian perspective and, while speaking to the typical stereotypes associated with aging, it illustrates that advancing years is a time to be celebrated -- not extinguished. The book examines the spiritual needs of older adults and suggests strategies by which the older adult can enrich their sense of life satisfaction. The book shines a light on how universal religious practices and perspectives enable us to celebrate a life well lived.

Through the use of scriptural references, poems, lyrics, and humour, the author draws the reader in to the teachings, stirs our emotions and, with descriptive language, paints a picture for our longer-term memory. What matters is that the reader becomes involved in the text and is transformed by its meaning.