Aging and Spirituality

Explore the intersection of aging and spirituality: how our spirituality matures as we age, stories we carry, care for one another, connection, purpose, joys, questions and worries. Participants will experience mutual support and gain a deeper understanding of their aging journey —what am I called to do now? Explore the intersection of aging and spirituality:…

Workshop Description

Explore the intersection of aging and spirituality: how our spirituality matures as we age, stories we carry, care for one another, connection, purpose, joys, questions and worries. Participants will experience mutual support and gain a deeper understanding of their aging journey —what am I called to do now?

Explore the intersection of aging and spirituality: how our spirituality matures as we age, stories we carry, care for one another, connection, purpose, joys, worries and questions. This workshop will create a safe space for participants to experience mutual support and gain a deeper understanding of the aging journey—their own and others’. “What am I called to do now?”

Our Quaker communities are aging. We are experiencing our own aging and providing care to family and community. Meetings are discerning how to provide care and support to individual members whose needs are long-term. We live in a social environment that does not value older adults and makes conversations about aging very challenging. There will be time to explore the concerns you bring.
We will explore aging and spirituality through worship, sharing, journaling and reading. Each session will begin with prompting queries and brief presentation.

• Ageist messages: What are we told about aging? What do we tell ourselves? What are we looking forward to and worry about? Explore cultural differences. Intentions for workshop.
• Navigating transitions: Who will I be in retirement? What am I called to do at this stage in my life with different resources/time? Where do I fit? What are my gifts? How do I adjust to having different resources/ abilities? How do I adjust to loss- of job, family, friends, abilities, etc. Who are my models?
• Dimensions of healthy aging: Where does spirituality come in? How does our spirituality change as we age? How to nurture our spiritual life with limited resources? What is the role of community?
• Care for one another: family caregiving, role of the meeting, limits to the care we can provide, self-care, mutual accompaniment, finding local resources, Quaker resources. Mutual accompaniment or professional services? Difference between short and long term needs. Cognitive decline.
• Life stage and end of life planning, memorial meetings and minutes, wills, obituaries and ethical wills. What is my legacy?
• Putting it all together: topics that needed more time or we missed. Where do we go from here? Identify take-homes and action steps.

Participants are asked to bring a notebook for journaling and piece of art, writing or story that has spoken to you while contemplating this topic which will be shared during the workshop.

Leader Experience

Susan is a lifelong Friend and retired LCSW, board certified in Gerontology. She was ED of the Princeton Senior Resource Center for 17 years, developing a robust resource center, providing care coordination, caregiver support groups and consultations for individuals and families. She has presented locally and nationally on topics including “Being Mortal”, Hoarding, Bullying, Housing Options, End of Life Planning, Ageism, Family Caregiving, Downsizing, Lifelong Learning, Loneliness & Isolation, Retirement, and Spirituality & Aging. She facilitated Princeton’s designation as an Age Friendly Community and was honored by the YWCA for efforts to eliminate racism and empower women. She is the ED of the Friends Foundation for the Aging, making grants to Quaker organizations to support aging adults in both residential and community settings, and creating the Quaker Convening on Aging to facilitate collaborations among Friends’ organizations. She also accompanied her parents on their journeys through aging, diminishment, dementia and death.