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This is the weekend I go to the nursing home with my church ministry (we have two teams per nursing home, I go on the 2nd Sunday, the other team on the 4th Sunday). Some of the residents do have visitors when we come by, and many don't.

There's a reason that visiting the sick is one of the corporal works of mercy:

https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10198d.htm

(and to comfort the afflicted is a spiritual work of mercy)

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author

Thank you to you and your fellow ministry members. That's wonderful work you're doing.

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I started after Covid. Most of the ministers are 20+ years older than me, so I told the deacon in charge of the nursing home ministry to see if we could get younger people involved (I’m 50!) bc too many of our volunteers are getting infirm, too. That’s why I keep getting reassigned to replace others. A lot of people just need to be asked.

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Jul 10Liked by Karl Gallagher

Geez, it feels good to read new s.f. that feels like some of the old stuff. Real, and thoughtful.

Thank you.

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Jul 10Liked by Karl Gallagher

Far too believable. My mother recently moved to an assisted-living facility. And one of the things they do well is to have lots of different social activities- from crafts to exercise class to bingo to “choir club” - so there’s always an option to be with other people - in addition to mealtimes with small tables of 2-4 residents each.

Before this, her declining mobility made it hard to get out and socialize - so that sometimes I was the only person she’d see in a week.

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Jul 21Liked by Karl Gallagher

The Covidians killed the candy-stripers, root and branch. It was being slowly poisoned by the SIEU and credentialism, and med-sammies, but that was the deathblow.

Damnable shame, cutting one more cord between the generations.

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author

That is a shame. I hope a future generation starts them up again, when we shed some of the current insanity.

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Jul 10Liked by Karl Gallagher

Well done, and not far from the truth these days, Karl!

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author

Unfortunately, yes.

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Jul 9Liked by Karl Gallagher

Interesting take on the future of geriatric care. Thanks for sharing!

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author

Thanks! Yeah, even if we can meet all the basic needs, the higher level ones will be hard to supply.

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Especially since not everyone can have children, and the children might die, or find it impossible to visit.

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