When someone you love moves into an assisted living community, they may experience a time of transition. While everyone under the Bethesda Senior Living Communities umbrella works to make transitions enjoyable and positive, you can't change the fact that someone is moving from their home and into a new environment. They might have times where they feel lonely, afraid or unsure what to do.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." It's a message that repeats itself throughout Scripture. We're supposed to pray constantly, to join and fellowship with God throughout our day. And yet the hustle and bustle of our lives seems to make this difficult.
Community worship is a part of life at all our Bethesda Senior Living Communities. Seniors of faith residing at these communities can choose to take part in weekly worship opportunities, visits to local churches, devotionals and Bible studies. Many communities also have on-site chaplains to assist with spiritual well-being. As a faith-based organization, we invest in these opportunities because we know there's never a time when Christians are meant to go it alone in this life.
Perhaps it's someone's birthday or you just want to send a care package or gift to let an older adult know you're thinking of them. But what's the right type of gift for someone who has moved into an assisted living community? The right gifts are always those that come from the heart, but there are definitely some things that might be more or less useful to residents in assisted living apartments. Check out our list below of some things you might send or give to show an older adult you're thinking of them.
Gift-giving is a common topic as each year comes to a close. As people prepare to see loved ones or friends throughout the holidays, they often look for something special to give. It's more than a habit ingrained by corporate commercialism and marketing, though, and many seniors likely have fond memories of both giving and receiving presents during this festive season. Still, it's important for people of faith to remember the reason behind the season and why we give gifts to begin with.
Seniors of faith may have experienced one or more spiritual retreats in their lives. These often take place over a couple of days or a week. They bring together people of faith for fellowship, spiritual study, prayer and other activities designed to grow a person's relationship with God. While no one is ever too old to enjoy such a retreat, the expense and physical requirements for traveling to and participating in these activities may be prohibitive for some older adults.
Life-long people of faith might remember learning the Christmas story in Sunday school, hearing it via Advent calendars or performing it in countless plays and nativity reenactments. Even people who came to faith later in life have probably heard this story many times. It's easy to gloss over the talking points of the Christmas story because we know them so well and miss out on some of the most meaningful messages in these passages of Scripture.
Our faith-based senior living communities offer plenty of opportunities to engage with God in corporate worship. Church, devotionals and other activities are scheduled regularly for residents that want to participate, and many of our Bethesda Senior Living Communities have chaplains available for seniors who want to talk one-on-one about faith or growing with God. But older adults can also continue their faith journey in individual ways, including meditative prayer.
Almost everyone has experienced a bout of depression at some point in their life. The Bible holds answers to many questions, including ones about depression. There are several passages in the Bible that provide truths about depression that can help you through it.
The last Thursday in November is Thanksgiving. This is the day we reflect on our blessings and thank God for everything good in our lives. With problems and challenges, it's easy to get caught up in what we don't have and what we wish we could have instead of focus on what we do, but there are plenty of daily blessings we often forget to be thankful for.
