Some Things Never Age

Author

Retreat at Church Ranch, The

Posted on

Jun 21, 2009

Book/Edition

Colorado - Western Slope

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The spirit can be so resilient. At a recent Beauty Pageant (where the average age of the contestant was 86), I was reminded of a time past and the glitter of young girls, the spark of high heeled shoes, and the sassy competitiveness of my wife when I first met her. That elusive, difficult to define, but ever present spirit that defines the human condition does not wither when provided an environment that keeps it vibrant and, well youthful.
There is a renewed focus on the spirit in forward looking Communities of Care, most commonly referred to as assisted living facilities, for our elders. Yes, the food still has to be good. The environment should be safe, clean, filled with light and objects of beauty. The Community should demonstrate a sense of caring, respect, love and compassion for those who built our schools, built our parks, raised us from childhood to parenthood; who won our wars and who ran our towns and cities. Through these and many other accomplishments they earned our respect and admiration and deserve our utmost care. But that is just the beginning.
Fundamentally, none of that special and increased level of care would happen unless there was a deep and abiding understanding from the leadership to the line staff. Some have discovered, and many more are now also learning, that at the very heart of what providers do every day in these Communities of Care, there needs to be a consistent and fundamental appreciation of, and connectedness with, our shared humanity our shared spirit.
I've told my children, when I'm old and bedridden, and I can no longer manage to coordinate the subtle muscles from mind to mouth, that would allow me to answer their every question, or join them in conversation, that they never assume I'm not fully there and listening to every word. The lotus of our humanity is our consciousness, and our consciousness is the lotus of our spirituality. That spirit remains young when surrounded by attention and respect.
Editors Note: This article was submitted by Robin Avery, Gerontologist and CEO of the Retreat Communities. For further information he can be reached at 970-243-7224.

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