ilities, even to require constant total care giving. These patients
will be from ethnically diverse cultures. These patients will need
specialized care. This is the perfect storm that you and I have to weather
as we travel along, each in our own little boat.
But I am here to tell you. All of this is good news. You may look
at me, and think that I am crazy, but I am telling you that this is all
good news. Every single one of you here is here because you care for the
elderly, or you care about the elderly, or you care about someone who
cares. And I have good news for all of you.
What I have to say is very simple. Because no matter whatever the
challenges are that we face, I want you to keep one thing uppermost in your
minds and in your thoughts. And that is that God is present, in all that
we say, in all that we do, in all the challenges that we face every day.
No matter what, with God, all things are possible. As we pilot our boats
through the storm, God is beside us and with us and guiding us. Let me
give you some good news to help to demonstrate this. We are facing a
larger elderly population but the good news is that more and more of the
people we care for can expect to enjoy a healthy old age. This does not
mean that the people we care for will not have challenges. Most of those
elderly that we are expecting will be living with some sort of chronic
condition, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes,
hypertension, etc. And we as caregivers know that these chronic problems
will cause limitations in the patient's daily lives and daily activities.
The can cause hospitalization, or the necessity for extended stays in the
hospital or transition into nursing homes. It is in situations like these
where we need to remember, as caregivers that we are not only ministering
to the body but also to the spirit. Educators and psychologists speak of
the t...