The Culture of Loving-Kindness
As a famous saying goes, “to care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honours.” Aging is an inevitable process which begins at birth and continues until death. The elderly in society need specialized care. It is vital for people to increase their knowledge about how to treat the elderly in the community to prevent ageist behaviours, discrimination, and maltreatment of the elders in the community. Aged care is essential since senior citizens cannot carry out daily tasks, and as such, they need specialized assistance. To some senior citizens, they need both physical and psychological support. The ACTS Culture of Loving-Kindness provides such specialized care for the aged in the community.
ACTS Culture of Loving Kindness is committed to providing specialized care to senior citizens. At present, caring for the aged is not an easy task because of the ever-changing lifestyles. Due to their high dependence, senior citizens are neglected or abandoned by their families. According to a WHO report (2018), around 1 in 60 people 60 years and older experience some form of abuse in community settings during the past year. The high rates of abuse are because the elderly are perceived to have no value to the society, and as such, their status gets degraded. Furthermore, some people view the aged as a burden because they cannot perform some tasks independently. Therefore, when they are tasked with the work of caring for the aged, they treat and perceive them as a burden.
ACTS Culture of Loving-Kindness provides care to the elderly without prejudice. Whereas other people view the elderly as a burden, the ACTS Culture of Loving-Kindness embraces the aged through an attitude of respect and acceptance. ACTS not only provide love and quality care for the ages, but the organization also provides a serene environment where the elderly enjoy peace and fulfilment.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of recent studies on elder abuse in both institutional and community settings based on self-report by older adults suggest that the rates of abuse are much higher in institutions than in community settings (WHO, 2018). The data shows the irony that the elderly face. Homes for the elderly are supposed to be a haven for the aged. However, according to the WHO report, rates of abuse are higher in the institutions than in a typical community setting. It is sad that the homes that are supposed to care for the elderly turn to abuse-havens. ACTS is, however, different from such institutions because it is founded on Christian values. ACTS is committed to following the directives of God to glorify Him through intent and purpose by caring for the elderly.
ACTS can provide such quality care for the elderly through its employees. According to the ACTS website (2017), the employees are the living foundation on which the organization is built. Since employees are the ones who handle the elderly, either directly or indirectly, their commitment is key to the success of any institution for the aged. Rates of elder abuse are high in institutions such as nursing homes and long-term care facilities, with 2 in 3 staff reporting that they have committed abuse in the past year (WHO, 2018). Therefore, when the employees are not committed to fulfilling the mission of the home, the quality of care goes down.
The culture of loving-kindness means caring for the less fortunate and ensuring they do not feel neglected. In modern times, the elderly are neglected because they have reduced both physical and mental functioning and thus are viewed as valueless. To me, disregarding the elderly in society is an act of selfishness if not cruelty. The same elders were once young and vibrant. They too worked hard to provide for their families and therefore, they deserve the best of care. As stated in the beginning, to care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honours. Therefore, by caring, loving and showing kindness to the elderly is the least of what the older people should be offered.
I once saw a documentary on abuse in elderly homes. Even in homes, where people pay and expect excellent care for their old ones, the elderly were not entirely cared for. That is why I believe that ACTS does such an excellent job of caring for senior citizens. ACTS is different from other homes because it invests in the welfare of its staff. As per a famous saying, “You cannot pour from an empty cup”. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that the staff has an accommodative working environment for them to provide the care needed by the aged.
According to a testimonial in the ACTS website (2017), “I know I am in a good place because the residents and the staff treat me with respect. I am not just a worker; I am part of a family that cares about me, the person, not just the job I do.” By cultivating an inclusive working environment, the workers at ACTS feel obliged to provide the best care for the elderly living in the institution.
To me, the Culture of Loving-Kindness not only means caring for the elderly as well as the caregivers. The Christian atmosphere at ACTS makes the loving-kindness possible. By caring for the needs of employees, the employees are motivated to pass on the care and kindness to the elderly. The Culture of Loving-Kindness is an effective lifestyle that can change the negative perspective in which elderly people are viewed.
References
ACTS Retirement-Life Communities. (2017). The ACTS Culture. Retrieved June 24, 2019, from ACTS Retirement-Life Communities: https://www.acts-jobs.org/en-US/page/culture
World Health Organization. (2018, June 8). Elder Abuse. Retrieved June 24, 2019, from World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/elder-abuse