Alzheimer’s Patient Oh, how can this be? You and I are losing me Some day soon May be morning Many be noon I will no longer be the me You and I know as me And the answer seems to be Words, and thought, frequently scramble And my conversations seem to ramble. Oh, […]
Valuing Age:Pastoral Ministry with older people
Posted on by James Woodward
A new publication by James Woodward Pastoral care and practical theology in the light of age and ageing are the focus of this book. It is written to help those involved in care, in a range of settings, to understand some of the pastoral questions and the issues that older people face. […]
If not Now, When?
Posted on by James Woodward
Oh No ! Not another book on OldAge? Yes and a good one….. Self-appointed ambassador for the baby-boomer generation, Esther is a professionally incautious 68, shouldering her way into what she calls the Third Age with the energy, self-belief and studio gloss of the That’s Life! BBC television presenter she once was. “Don’t put a […]
Is there anybody there – Responding to Dementia?
Posted on by James Woodward
Is there anybody there? Can we remember those who forget? We human beings deal with our fears in a variety of ways. Often our response to certain types of illness is shaped by ignorance and prejudice. A historical overview of religion reflects our ambivalent relationship with illness. Consider how we treated the insane in […]
Dignity – Whose Dignity?
Posted on by James Woodward
In the Department of Health second NSF paper A New Ambition for Old Age, dignity is defined as ‘the moral requirement to respect human beings irrespective of what they suffer from’. Another definition is this : ‘dignity refers to an individual maintaining self respect and being valued by others’. These definitions remind us that […]
Valuing Age:Pastoral Ministry with Older People just published!
Posted on by James Woodward
This book is desperately needed. James Woodward’s study is masterful,informed, compassionate, theologically articulate and pastorally compelling. We will all grow older; we should allread this book. It is a compelling visionof a Church in which older people really are valued and served.’ The Very Revd Ian Markham PhD, Dean and President of VirginiaTheological Seminary […]
Gerotranscendence
Posted on by James Woodward
Lors Tornstam Tornstam defined the first thesis in Sweden in the field of gerontological sociology in 1973. This model (Gerotranscendence) suggests that human longevity includes the potential for a transcendent movement away from the materialistic and rational point of view common in the first half of life. His research suggests that successful completion of such […]
A Mission Shaped Church for Older People?
Posted on by James Woodward
I I had the privilege of travelling up to The Wilson Carlile Campus which houses the headquarters of the Church Army. Mike Collyer and Claire Dalpra had organised an excellent afternoon conference which gathered a 100 people together to think about our mission and ministry to older people. I was glad to […]
Sheila Hancock
Posted on by James Woodward
This is a really moving read about a woman coping with the death of her partner John Thaw. I challenge anyone not to be moved and enthralled by her lovely honesty. ‘Well now, prove it, Sheila. As John would say, “Put your money where your mouth is.” Be a depressed widow boring the […]
Bits of the Jigsaw
Posted on by James Woodward
Since my sabbatical earlier this year it has been understandably quite difficult to maintain any time of regular rhythm of reading. I am keen to want to harvest the privilege of those days spent in Washington and Chicago libraries absorbing and reflecting on narrative. But some of this has practical implications for my work […]
Retirement?
Posted on by James Woodward
This may raise a smile! James Woodward thinking about retirement…. well in a theoretical sense you understand! I have to speak at a leveson Centre conference about my aspirations relating to retirement and write to ask for any advice via this page. I remember one observation about people who read autobiography. Those who read you are […]
An Ageing Church?
Posted on by James Woodward
I gladly spent the last weekend of August, in the Windermere Centre, which is the United Reformed Church residential training centre, set in the Lake District. We gathered to explore some of the questions and issues surrounding age. The group was open, ready to listen and to explore this subject from a number […]
Holiday Reading Part Three
Posted on by James Woodward
As ever, a mixture of books make up the secret of a good holiday read. My first has been waiting for some time. Richard Hoggart (Promises to keep: Thoughts in Old age) was published by Continuum in 2005. Delightful, modest, engaging and wise are words that most come to mind when considering on […]
An Ageing Mind?
Posted on by James Woodward
Tradition says that as you get older, you gradually lose your marbles as dottiness and dementia take over from the acuity of younger days. In this cogent book, Gene Cohen, director of the Center on Aging, Health and Humanities at George Washington University, shows that this is just another myth. Quite the reverse, as we […]
Embracing our Age?
Posted on by James Woodward
Most of us prefer the relative comfort of denial when it comes to older age. This is a serious state for it is always better to anticipate and so prepare ourselves for ageing so we can unlock its rich potential. In the words of Antonio Pierro – Getting Older is an Adventure […]
It’s all in the Mind?
Posted on by James Woodward
We all fear losing our minds and memories. One of the reasons why many fear old age is because we believe that cognitive abilities decline. There are many negative images of older people that suggest that they are forgetful and even mentally incompetent. So what does the evidence show? Cognitive functioning can be assessed […]
On forgiving your parents
Posted on by James Woodward
My reading of old age narratives goes on (and on and on)! There is some productivity and much delight in the various way these characters think about the shape of age. I wish I had the capacity to think onto a computer – there is something about the movement of a pen across paper watching […]
Endgame by May Sarton
Posted on by James Woodward
On the 17th of May I wrote about a very remarkable book by May Sarton (At Seventy). You can imagine my delight at finding another journal by her entitled Endgame. One of the great things about living in a University area (Hyde Park Chicago) was the wonderful collection of second hand bookshops. Where better to […]
Accounting for what shapes age?
Posted on by James Woodward
Do you remember your grandparents? What were they like? I remember my mothers, mother – going to see her as a very young child when my mother would help her with the housework and ironing. I must have been very young but I remember her grey hair and wrinkled hands and […]
Accounting for Longevity?
Posted on by James Woodward
If we are to grasp what ageing means for us at an individual level then we must also come to terms with the ways in which age is a social and cultural phenomenon. This is a complicated field full of experts and competing theories. In all dialogue there are myths and misinformation. This is […]