This course can be taken alone, but it is also the second half of a winter semester intensive course. It is suitable for students interested in chaplaincy, pastoral and congregational ministry, as well as for students interested in broader sociological perspectives. We will share our attention between focused pastoral and broader societal aspects of aging. Our culture encourages us to understand aging-related issues only as a person’s individual problems and ignore systems of privilege and difference. These misapprehensions lessen our ability to be effective in our ministries.
We will touch on ageism/stereotypes; changing roles; spiritual development; loss of independence; paid/unpaid caregivers; dementias; congregational programs; death/dying, both individually and in the broader societal context in which these individual situations and problems are situated. You will be offered a wide variety of readings and resources to use in your own work. This course can be taken as a follow-up to Aging Issues and Ministry, Jan. 2016
