“We are headed into the most Elder-rich era of human
existence and should be celebrating our good fortune at every
turn.”
William H. Thomas, M.D.
Using U.S. census data, researchers estimate that
every day this year, 7,900 people will celebrate their 60th birthday.
The older population--persons 65 years or older--numbered
36.3 million in 2004 representing 12.4% of the U.S. population
or about one in every eight Americans. By 2030, this will grow
to 20% of the population, more than twice their number in 2000.
We are greeting this “Wave of Wisdom”
together with intelligence, responsibility and joy!
Light Heart Foundation began as a seed of compassion
and curiosity in the heart of a little girl many years ago. When
it was just the right time, that seed pushed forward and revealed
a light that would illuminate many hearts and grow a Vision strong
and beautiful.
Realizing the Vision of Light Heart is
now a collective community endeavor and joins a nation-wide movement
to passionately address the isolation of our Elders and revive
our communities.
Visits to the Elderly
The Story of Morris
Frail, slumped over in a wheel chair in the
corridor of a sterile looking convalescent hospital, he could
have been a “poster boy” for the stereotype of the
elderly. Nurses and aides pass by with an obligatory “How
are you today, Morris?” He did not respond.……
Pulling up a chair so we could make eye contact, I introduced
myself and asked him how he was. I received a response, not a
complaint, and that began a conversation that was to last more
than an hour.……On my way out, I shared a few of his
wonderful stories with a nurse. She said “I would have never
guessed that about Morris.” Of course she wouldn’t,
there was little time in her difficult schedule to do what a volunteer
could do – to sincerely inquire and really wait for an answer,
not just about Morris’s health but about his soul.
The political agenda these days seems to be about
“protecting our senior citizens”. Though older adults
should have better health care and income security, the biggest
problems facing elderly people are not heart disease and diabetes,
“they are loneliness, helplessness and boredom,” says
Dr. William Thomas, a former nursing home physician.
As amazing as it seems, more than half of those
seniors living in facilities are left alone with no visitors.
When we talk about the elderly, we are not referring to anonymous
strangers but to our own parents, grandparents and sooner than
we think, ourselves.
In past times, where villages were made up of the
extended family communities, the Elders were considered the wise
ones, the storytellers to the young so the village’s history
was not lost. As the village disappeared so did the reverence
for the wisdom the Elders possessed.
In a typical year, Light Heart engages the wisdom
of more than a 1000 Elders.
Intergenerational Opportunities
“The relationships that have powered human
cultural advancement for tens of thousands of years are a complex
set of intergenerational interactions. Taken together, they form
the engine that has shaped us, served us, blunted our worst tendencies,
and magnified our best.”
William H. Thomas, M.D.
The intergenerational concept is not new but must
now be resurrected as an intentional strategy that fits the way
we live today.
Generations United of Yavapai County defines intergenerational
as:
“people of all ages being equal partners
in building a community where all generations thrive and each
persons needs, talents and strengths are valued, respected and
engaged!”
Light Heart uses this concept as means to our
mission.
Community Involvement
We believe that the most critical poverty in our
society is that of the Spirit from lack of meaningful connections
to our family, friends and community.
Light Heart staff share their enthusiasm and delight
in getting to know our Elders and the gifts they offer through
the grace and fun of our community projects. As we participate
with each other, we begin to realize our capacity to love and
we reclaim the riches that come from exchange between generations.
These are the resources that will sustain thriving
communities.
