What if life were like a drive-through restaurant and we could order up a “new lease on life”? Would you be interested in ordering one for yourself this year?
I’m not sure where you go to order up a lease for happy, renewed energy in life, but I know that I’ve seen them here handed out here on our campus of care for seniors.
In general, elderly seniors are not expecting a new lease on life. Many of them have lived full and meaningful lives that feel “complete”. They have invested in people, in relationships, in travel, in adventure, in love, in ministry and careers. They have lived full and meaningful lives and may not feel like they need or deserve a new lease on life.
When hardship comes upon them in old age, it’s both expected and shocking. They’ve seen their friends and loved ones suffer from disease, from pain and loss. They know it’s “out there”, but when it comes home to them, it comes as a surprise and a challenge.
And yet, even in this surprising hardship there are stories of elderly seniors who are experiencing a new lease on life. This too, takes them by surprise as they see how God is giving them hope and joy. Sometimes, it’s a crisis that brings them into a new lease on life. Sometimes, it just “sneaks up on them”.
One senior came to live in the apartments at Menno Place because he was exhausted. He cared for his wife for many years and had run out of energy. After she passed away, he didn’t have the capacity to carry on by himself. He didn’t know how to cook and didn’t want to learn. All he wanted was to sit on his chair and watch the geese fly by, watch the sun rise and sit and watch the leaves turn red and fall from the trees. He needed to rest – and rest he did. It took two years for him to feel rested.
In his new home he formed new friendships, learned of others’ stories of care and grief. He felt supported by his new friends and joined a Bible Study. The chaplain asked him to lead the Bible Study from time to time and he did. He started to enjoy himself. He found a new rhythm.
Suddenly, one day, he had the thought, “this is a new lease on life”… a new era, a hopefulness that was unexpected after the dark days. He said this all with a smile of contentment. It had snuck up on him. He was surprised and satisfied with his new realization. He was experiencing a new lease on life.
Not everyone would expect that moving onto a campus of care could give a new lease on life, but it is a common experience for seniors. After struggling with increasing needs, they finally land in a place where their needs are met with dignity and kindness.
Caregivers can also find a new lease on life after their spouse passes away. For years, they devout themselves to their vow to love “in sickness”. Daily they serve and visit with a spouse who may no longer remember them, who may have incredible chronic pain or who is suffering the effects of debilitating illness. One day, their loved one breathes their last and sorrow is mixed with relief. The suffering is over.
Can a new life begin for that caregiver? Is it possible to find a new lease on life as a widow or widower?
I know from my many conversations with seniors that there is profound guilt at carrying on after a loved one has passed away. There can be a sense that their loved one didn’t “deserve” their hardships and a deep desire to transfer the pain to oneself. And yet, they could not take on the pain or suffering. Their love and support for their spouse is all that can be done. And when the spouse passes away, is there a possibility of a new lease on life?
On our campus, there are deep friendships among the widowers who have cared for ailing spouses. They share their stories, but they don’t need to. Sometimes one sentence is all that they need to connect. They understand each other’s lives. They have lived the same dedications, the same stresses, the same undying love. And now, these friendships with their depth of understanding are a gift – a new lease on life.
Jesus, in His kindness looks at His created people with compassion – the young and the old. He looks over the crowds and feels kindness and understanding. He sees that we are like sheep without a shepherd. He knows that we need His love and His guidance, no matter what our age. He knows that we need full and meaningful lives – He promises us to give us abundance in our lives, even more than we can dream of. (John 10)
And yet, those who spend their lives trusting in God for their hope and strength are often guided by Him through a “dark night of the soul”. This is a time where spiritual strength feels like spiritual weakness, where understanding of God and His ways is unclear, foggy or confusing. It is a time of sorrow mixed with joy – a time where God feels distant or even absent.
And out of this dark night of the soul, seniors testify to a new lease on spiritual life. It’s a slow renewal as God guides us through doubt and into faith. It’s a time when we rely on the community of believers to be strength for us when we can’t find it within. It’s a time of incredible awareness of our own weakness and need for others and for God. This is the testing of our faith (1 Peter 1:6-9). Through this comes perseverance and inexpressible joy. A spiritual new lease on life!
This joy… this is the abundance of life promised. Joy in suffering. Peace in confusion. Hope in hardship. Love and understanding from the community around us. It is difficult to thank these people or God for the support because words don’t convey a fraction of our hearts.
So, what is a new lease on life? Is it a feeling? Is it a circumstance? Is it both?
It’s a person or situation that makes someone happy or healthy or gives them new energy. A new lease on life doesn’t somehow magically balance the prior hardship to erase or dismiss the past. It doesn’t forget the journey and the suffering. A new lease on life is an injection of hope. It’s an injection of joy. It’s an injection of peace.
Perhaps the hardest part of embracing a new lease on life is recognizing that it can happen in ways that are unfamiliar to us, like moving onto a campus of care, receiving help from a homecare giver or even going through the “dark night of the soul”.
So, if life were like a drive-through restaurant and you could order up a “new lease on life” this year, would you do it?
Sharon Simpson is the Director, Communications and Stakeholder Engagement at Menno Place
TV Show features a resident of Menno Place – Deals with issues of aging
/in NewsIn January, Tina Dyck, resident of Menno Place was featured on a television show that deals with the issues of Aging. Her daughter, Lorna Dueck, is a broadcaster who is becoming increasingly aware of the issues faced by the elderly. Lorna Dueck is the host of Context.
AGELESS
On this episode of Context we hear from Ontario’s minister responsible for seniors, plus when was the last time you talked to a 101 year old? Get a peak inside the life of veteran and poet George E. Hart.
PHOTOS OF TINA AND HER PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
Context with Lorna Dueck is a weekly, half-hour, independently-produced television program. Our mission is to create boundary breaking media that reveals Christ. We explore news and current affairs stories from a Christian world view by looking into the stories and issues that matter to you. Journalist and host Lorna Dueck and the Context team deliver media that explores peoples’ experience of God in the topical happenings of our day.
Produced from offices located downtown Toronto, in the Canadian Broadcasting Centre, the program first aired as a stand alone production in 2003, under the name Listen Up TV. The format is flexible, varies from week-to-week, and includes on-location reports, documentary style features, studio and double-ender interviews.
Context with Lorna Dueck is a production of Media Voice Generation, a registered Canadian charity incorporated in the summer of 2004. Through Media Voice Generation, the program is funded entirely by contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations who believe Context with Lorna Dueck provides a crucial perspective on the most significant issues of our day, presenting a unique and valuable voice in Canadian media.
BC Seniors’ Guide – Would you like one? Download PDF or pick up at Reception
/in NewsWould you like a BC Seniors’ Guide?
Download PDF – BC Seniors’ Guide, 11th Edition
Order your own hard copy – call 1.877.952.3181
What’s in the BC Seniors’ Guide?
Information, Resources and Phone numbers for:
Message from the B.C. Government
As the population of British Columbia continues to grow, and grow older, we need to support seniors to be as healthy and as independent as possible. We know that older adults prefer to age in their own homes and communities, and may need access to appropriate services and supports in order to do so. The Government of B.C. is committed to promoting healthy, active aging, and providing information and resources about the services seniors and their families and caregivers need to make good decisions about their health, care, and overall well-being.
The BC Seniors’ Guide is a prime example of this commitment. While more and more seniors are accessing resources online, many seniors tell us that they would rather receive information that they can hold in their hands. With the BC Seniors’ Guide, we make a wealth of useful information available in print and online, in Chinese, English, French, and Punjabi, to reach as many B.C. seniors as we can. In addition, government partnered with the First Nations Health Authority in 2014 to adapt the BC Seniors’ Guide into a new BC Elders’ Guide for First Nations and Aboriginal older adults. You can find the BC Seniors’ Guide and the BC Elders’ Guide online at www.gov.bc.ca/seniorsguide.
In this guide, you will find information and resources on benefits, healthy living, health services, housing, transportation, personal security, finances, and other services. In addition, there is a listing directory at the end of the guide, and questions in each section to consider as you plan to remain as healthy and independent as possible as you grow older. We hope the BC Seniors’ Guide will help you find what you’re looking for.
For more information on government support for seniors, visit the SeniorsBC website at www.SeniorsBC.ca.
The 11th edition of the British Columbia Seniors’ Guide was printed in 2015
Information may change from the time of publication. Visit www.gov.bc.ca/seniorsguide for periodic updates to this guide, as well as translated versions available in Chinese, French and Punjabi.
Prayer for Caregivers
/in Family and FriendsFebruary 11th is World Day of the Sick, an observation started by Pope John Paul II in 1992 to encourage people to pray for those who suffer from illness and for their caregivers. The Pope was diagnosed the year prior with Parkinson’s. This was likely an impetus for his designation of this day.
Pray for the sick.
SHARE this caregiver prayer with all who are extending themselves in love and mercy to care for others
2016-Prayer-for-the-Caregivers – PDF
Ernie Poignant, 97-year old cartoonist from Primrose Gardens shows no signs of putting down sketch pad
/in Family and FriendsBorn in a Matsqui farmhouse a few months after the First World War started, Ernie still has a steady hand and an eye for wildlife.
Back in the sixties, he used to draw for kids on the Pete’s Place TV show that aired on Global BC – then called CHAN channel 8 on that old rotary dial.
“He’d have me come up, and one of the things I’d draw [was] a snowball coming down the hill.”
His cartoons are living history – he has documented epic Fraser Valley events like the great flood of 1948.
Ernie has been married to Rose Poignant for over 60 years – but she didn’t fall just for the art.
“I thought he was good-looking, and I was looking for a good-looking man,” said Rose, “and a nice man too. And he was both.”
Ernie’s trademark is taking someone’s initials and making them special – even the initials T.F. turn into Ted and a bear.
Reflections of a Widower – Vancouver Co-op Radio
/in Family and FriendsWednesday, February 17, 2016
Theme of the Show: Reflections of a Widower
Guest: Josh Kramer
Lead Host: Sharon Simpson
Josh Kramer shares his journey of caring for his wife, Susi as her health declined over the last 25 years of their life together. As her health declined, Susi needed additional support. Josh was able to provide her with care for a significant amount of time. When her care needs increased, they moved to Menno Place (www.MennoPlace.ca) campus of care in order to provide her with assistance in her daily life activities.
Eventually, Susi needed the support provided in full-time residential care as her mobility declined. Josh was faithful in loving her with tender compassion. Josh reflects on the privilege it was to serve Susi throughout their marriage and the grief he is now experiencing in the months following her passing.
Listen Online
White Cane Week 2016: Feb 7-13
/in NewsHeld annually, White Cane Week is to create awareness of issues that confront the blind and vision impaired community. Just as important, demonstrate ability over disability to others as well as themselves.
By the Numbers:
Sources: Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB), Lions Club International, World Health Organization
Shayla Peters – Unit Clerk at Menno Home – It’s Rewarding Work
/in Family and FriendsNursing unit clerk finds a workplace with heart
Growing up, Shayla Peters had dreamed of becoming a nurse.
But then, grade 12 happened. “I lost my motivation,” Shayla recalls. “I just wanted to get out of high school. I no longer knew what I wanted to do.” Shayla found work at a fast food outlet. “That was just a job,” she says.
“The kind you do when you’re not serious about your future.” Bored and underpaid, Shayla felt stuck. After six months, she realized she needed to take action if she wanted a change.
Choosing a Career
“My mom told me about the eight-month Nursing Unit Clerk program at UFV,” she says. “It did not require as much schooling as Nursing and wasn’t as expensive. I had always wanted to work in health care. The idea of helping people appealed to me.”
Shayla started researching the profession online: she saw lots of job postings on employment sites. And the hours were good.
“I enrolled in the program in 2010,” Shayla says. “It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. The program has high standards. And the teachers are incredible. They have experience in the field and the stories they share are relevant and useful.”
At the end of the program, Shayla completed a practicum at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital, where she gained hands-on experience. After graduation, she applied for a job there. But under pressure, she failed the test. The job required that she type 50 words a minute; she fell just short of the mark at 48.
She beat herself up afterward. It was such a missed opportunity. What followed was almost a year of applying for every Nursing Unit Clerk job under the sun. While looking for a break in the profession, Shayla worked in a coffee shop. “It was discouraging,” she confesses. “But I still would say to anyone in my shoes, ‘Just keep applying.’ Persistence pays off in the end.”
Taking an Unexpected Path
However, when a nursing unit clerk job opened up at Menno Home in 2011, Shayla considered letting it pass. “I had never pictured myself working in residential care,” she says. “I was afraid it may be a depressing work environment.” But months of hopes dying in the bud had toughened Shayla up. What did she have to lose? She opted to apply to the 24-hour care facility, located on the Menno Place campus in Abbotsford.
This time, not only did her résumé make it to the top of the pile, but she also landed the job. And submitting an application turned out to be the best decision of her life.
“I was wrong about working with seniors,” she explains. “I just didn’t know how rewarding it would be. Menno Home is an amazing place and I would like to continue working here until I retire.”
Such a statement appears extreme for a young person who has almost 40 years left in the workplace. “I am serious,” Shayla protests, when she is faced with skepticism. “My co-workers are amazing. They are compassionate and loving. They care about each other and about the residents. Not many workplaces provide this type of supportive environment.”
Life as a Nursing Unit Clerk
At Menno Home, Shayla works at the front desk. “I am right in the middle of all the action,” she points out. “Every day is different. I love that. It never gets boring.”
In addition to handling admissions, transfers, and discharges and keeping all records in order, Shayla organizes charts, prints lab reports, stocks supplies, directs visitors, answers questions, and more.
But perhaps more meaningfully, she gets to make a difference in people’s lives. “It is like caring for your grandparents,” she says. “You just grow to love the residents.”
Working with seniors takes patience and understanding, especially when memory loss strikes. “Residents sometimes wander to the front desk, and they are confused or agitated,” Shayla says. “I may comfort them or take them to their bedrooms. They are so thankful for my help.”
Shayla acknowledges that the death of residents is always heart wrenching. “It is sad to see people you care about decline and die,” she says. “But we can rest on the fact that we have done everything we could to make the last part of their lives as happy as it can be.”
Despite the hard moments, Shayla would not give up her job for anything. “Every day, I feel good about going to work,” she says. “It’s exciting and rewarding to work at Menno Home.”
On the whole, Shayla credits her training for the opportunity to find fulfillment in her career. “I wouldn’t have had the chance to work at Menno Home if I didn’t take the Nursing Unit Clerk program at UFV,” she stresses.
Recreation Week – February 1-5 – Amazing Race!
/in Family and FriendsRecreation Team will lead participants on a journey of awareness the entire week. We encourage all Staff, Residents and Families to take part or to simply watch and have a good laugh.
Staff Members will compete against other units for the title MENNO PLACE AMAZING RACE WINNER. There will be a series of detours, road blocks and physical task to complete. Come join the fun!!
Recreation awareness week is happening February 1-5
Everything you wanted to know about Recreation and more!
Family and Friends Network – February 18
/in Family and FriendsCome and join us to discover how family and friends can be supported and involved in residents’ lives at Menno Home and Hospital.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
1:30 – 2:30pm
Menno Hospital Chapel
We are looking forward to seeing you!
Facilitators:
Dan Janzen – Social Worker
Ruth Neufeld – Social Services
I’ll Take a New Lease on Life, Please
/in NewsWhat if life were like a drive-through restaurant and we could order up a “new lease on life”? Would you be interested in ordering one for yourself this year?
I’m not sure where you go to order up a lease for happy, renewed energy in life, but I know that I’ve seen them here handed out here on our campus of care for seniors.
In general, elderly seniors are not expecting a new lease on life. Many of them have lived full and meaningful lives that feel “complete”. They have invested in people, in relationships, in travel, in adventure, in love, in ministry and careers. They have lived full and meaningful lives and may not feel like they need or deserve a new lease on life.
When hardship comes upon them in old age, it’s both expected and shocking. They’ve seen their friends and loved ones suffer from disease, from pain and loss. They know it’s “out there”, but when it comes home to them, it comes as a surprise and a challenge.
And yet, even in this surprising hardship there are stories of elderly seniors who are experiencing a new lease on life. This too, takes them by surprise as they see how God is giving them hope and joy. Sometimes, it’s a crisis that brings them into a new lease on life. Sometimes, it just “sneaks up on them”.
One senior came to live in the apartments at Menno Place because he was exhausted. He cared for his wife for many years and had run out of energy. After she passed away, he didn’t have the capacity to carry on by himself. He didn’t know how to cook and didn’t want to learn. All he wanted was to sit on his chair and watch the geese fly by, watch the sun rise and sit and watch the leaves turn red and fall from the trees. He needed to rest – and rest he did. It took two years for him to feel rested.
In his new home he formed new friendships, learned of others’ stories of care and grief. He felt supported by his new friends and joined a Bible Study. The chaplain asked him to lead the Bible Study from time to time and he did. He started to enjoy himself. He found a new rhythm.
Suddenly, one day, he had the thought, “this is a new lease on life”… a new era, a hopefulness that was unexpected after the dark days. He said this all with a smile of contentment. It had snuck up on him. He was surprised and satisfied with his new realization. He was experiencing a new lease on life.
Not everyone would expect that moving onto a campus of care could give a new lease on life, but it is a common experience for seniors. After struggling with increasing needs, they finally land in a place where their needs are met with dignity and kindness.
Caregivers can also find a new lease on life after their spouse passes away. For years, they devout themselves to their vow to love “in sickness”. Daily they serve and visit with a spouse who may no longer remember them, who may have incredible chronic pain or who is suffering the effects of debilitating illness. One day, their loved one breathes their last and sorrow is mixed with relief. The suffering is over.
Can a new life begin for that caregiver? Is it possible to find a new lease on life as a widow or widower?
I know from my many conversations with seniors that there is profound guilt at carrying on after a loved one has passed away. There can be a sense that their loved one didn’t “deserve” their hardships and a deep desire to transfer the pain to oneself. And yet, they could not take on the pain or suffering. Their love and support for their spouse is all that can be done. And when the spouse passes away, is there a possibility of a new lease on life?
On our campus, there are deep friendships among the widowers who have cared for ailing spouses. They share their stories, but they don’t need to. Sometimes one sentence is all that they need to connect. They understand each other’s lives. They have lived the same dedications, the same stresses, the same undying love. And now, these friendships with their depth of understanding are a gift – a new lease on life.
Jesus, in His kindness looks at His created people with compassion – the young and the old. He looks over the crowds and feels kindness and understanding. He sees that we are like sheep without a shepherd. He knows that we need His love and His guidance, no matter what our age. He knows that we need full and meaningful lives – He promises us to give us abundance in our lives, even more than we can dream of. (John 10)
And yet, those who spend their lives trusting in God for their hope and strength are often guided by Him through a “dark night of the soul”. This is a time where spiritual strength feels like spiritual weakness, where understanding of God and His ways is unclear, foggy or confusing. It is a time of sorrow mixed with joy – a time where God feels distant or even absent.
And out of this dark night of the soul, seniors testify to a new lease on spiritual life. It’s a slow renewal as God guides us through doubt and into faith. It’s a time when we rely on the community of believers to be strength for us when we can’t find it within. It’s a time of incredible awareness of our own weakness and need for others and for God. This is the testing of our faith (1 Peter 1:6-9). Through this comes perseverance and inexpressible joy. A spiritual new lease on life!
This joy… this is the abundance of life promised. Joy in suffering. Peace in confusion. Hope in hardship. Love and understanding from the community around us. It is difficult to thank these people or God for the support because words don’t convey a fraction of our hearts.
So, what is a new lease on life? Is it a feeling? Is it a circumstance? Is it both?
It’s a person or situation that makes someone happy or healthy or gives them new energy. A new lease on life doesn’t somehow magically balance the prior hardship to erase or dismiss the past. It doesn’t forget the journey and the suffering. A new lease on life is an injection of hope. It’s an injection of joy. It’s an injection of peace.
Perhaps the hardest part of embracing a new lease on life is recognizing that it can happen in ways that are unfamiliar to us, like moving onto a campus of care, receiving help from a homecare giver or even going through the “dark night of the soul”.
So, if life were like a drive-through restaurant and you could order up a “new lease on life” this year, would you do it?
Sharon Simpson is the Director, Communications and Stakeholder Engagement at Menno Place