Ageing Gracefully
Luke’s Journal | Nov 2020 | Vol.25 No.3
This issue of Luke’s Journal comes at the end of a year that has shaken and sifted us all, with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the COVID-19 pandemic having swept across the globe, crossing international boundaries, and affecting all cultures and ages, including the loss of nearly 1.2 million lives at the time of writing this editorial.
Read Dr Eleasa Sieh’s Editorial
Remembering
(and being remembered)
Dr Paul Mercer
Is despondent ageing a prank
that God plays on our lives?… More
Finding Meaning in Ageing
Rev Prof Elizabeth MacKinlay
Those of us living in twenty-first century Western countries for the most part, even in the time of COVID-19 pandemic, experience the gift of longer life… More
Poem: COVID Lament
Georgina Hoddle RN
Lord hear our pleas, our laments rise high, to Heaven we turn. A beautiful poem for these unprecedented times… More
Is residential Aged Care Facility merely a Waiting Room for Death?
Viv Allanson
In my experience this is a question, a statement, and an entrenched belief for individuals and society as a whole… More
In God’s Waiting Room
Dr Lauren Chong
Questions and reflections on memory, death, and aged care in COVID-19 times… More
Depression in Ageing
A/Prof Kuruvilla George (KG)
Depression is the most common mental illness in old age. Due to the rise in our ageing population, the significance and impact of depression will also increase as a consequence…
More
Combating Frailty In Ageing
Dr John Best
Front-page headlines of the Australian Newspaper on the 17th of July 2020 read: “Age not an issue: Hospitals ordered to treat elderly”… More
A Christian GP Reflects on Residential Aged Care
Dr Richard Chittleborough
Ageing people come into Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF) with – and sometimes because of – some established disabilities… More
Conducting Christmas Outreach Services at Aged Care Facilities as a visiting GP
Dr Richard Wong
I started thinking about hosting a series of Christmas outreach services at the aged care facilities I regularly visit… More
Poem:
Ode to a Farmer’s Wife
Ian Johnston
My heart ached for this suffering lady,
who had toiled many years on the land,
So I pulled out a tract about Jesus,
and the Hymn that says he’s our friend… More
Ageing Gracefully and Living Well
Dr Kenneth Ibe
Ageing is a universal part of life. We are born and pass through the natural stages of life, including old age, and then die. The World Health Organisation considers old age as beginning at 65 years of age, but at 55 years of age in Africa… More
Positive Ageing and Meaningful Life
Dr Chris Poulos
To do the subject of ‘Positive ageing and meaningful life’ justice in only a few pages is an impossible task. We can only scratch the surface of this important topic… More
Everyday Joy!
Georgia Strimaitis
Joy. A lot can be conveyed in only three letters. Joy is an emotion we all aspire too, yet is not one often associated with ageing and aged care… More
Enhancing Dignity for Those Nearing the End of their Life
Steve Calder
As I write this, I’m looking at a book on my desk. How the book came about is a story in itself… More
Ageing Unhindered
Dr Kristen Dang
“Don’t get old!”, people say as they smile through the weariness of physical decline. The years are inevitable, but there is a crown of glory that we can look forward to… More
Age: More Than a Number
Dr Monique Peris
Working in medicine it becomes apparent that the worth of the generation that lived through wars, drought and economic crisis can be boiled down to a number… More
Anne and I
– A Journey with Alzheimers’ Dementia
Dr Michael Nicholson
Let’s face it. When it comes to our nearest and dearest, sometimes dedication to our professional lives is not in their best interests… More
Book Review:
Second Forgetting
by Dr Benjamin Mast
Dr Eleasa Sieh
I first picked this book up out of curiosity at the meaning of its title and subtitle: “Remembering the power of the Gospel during Alzheimer’s disease”… More
Book Review:
The Challenge of Disability in Later Life edited by Elizabeth MacKinlay
Georgina Hoddle, RN
Through a collection of skilfully edited essays, this book illustrates how people with disabilities can lead spiritually meaningful lives… More
Pastoral Care in Aged Care Facilities
Rev Jonathan (Jon) Phua
It is a privilege to spend time with people in Aged Care settings, as the interactions are often so rewarding and meaningful… More
Hope and longer lives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Georgina Hoddle RN
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people have a shorter life expectancy than the non-Indigenous Australian population… More
Sense of Safety During Covid
Dr Johanna Lynch
Abraham Maslow called humans ‘safety seeking’ organisms. He named safety as a human meta-need. More
Discussion Paper on Moral Injury
CMDFA Ethics Management Team
Moral distress is found to correlate with burnout, consideration or intention to leave a position or workplace and non-alignment with workplace ethical climate. More