By Erica Bohm

In this last installment of the senior citizens series, we’re going to look at ways in which church groups have responded to the needs of the elderly:

Housing and Home Needs

(1) At Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, young people and retired men provide such services as washing windows, changing light bulbs and doing yard work.

(2) Housing rehabilitation. Volunteers from Holy Cross offered their skills in plumbing, electricity, painting, etc., to repair the home of a senior citizen because it did not meet the city housing code regulations.

Food Needs

(1) Several churches in Decatur work together to pick up and deliver a hot lunch and cold sack supper to senior citizens who are shut-ins or can’t prepare their own meals.

(2) Volunteers from Capital Avenue Baptist Church pick up and deliver surplus foods to elderly who couldn’t otherwise take advantage of surplus foods.

Transportation Needs

(1) The Baptist Center uses its van to take elderly people in Model Cities to a shopping center to buy groceries and drugs, and to cash checks.

(2) Peachtree Road Methodist Church provides transportation for senior citizens who need rides to church services and meetings.

Social Needs

(1) Volunteers have a specific senior citizen to call at an arranged time for a brief chat, and to let them know someone cares.

(2) The facilities of a church are used to host a sewing group, millinery group and arts and crafts group. Other interest groups are started if there are enough requests.

(3) Social groups meet regularly at a church for dinner and various programs.

Other Ways to Help:

Taking older persons on outings; sending spiritual messages by mail each month and organizing prayer groups; organizing programs for Christmas, Thanksgiving and other special events; making bed jackets, sweaters and other articles for nursing homes and encouraging those in the home, to also make them; helping to interest the elderly in a hobby; visiting the ill and shut-in elderly, fixing their hair, mending clothes, writing letters; helping and directing elderly to go to the proper source for information regarding retirement problems; preparing a list of information regarding retirement problems; preparing a list of those members who would appreciate visitors; using active shut-ins and active elderly to do telephoning; carrying on a magazine exchange for the elderly; sending cards for special occasions to the elderly; writing a column in church bulletins to “Golden Agers,” listing sick, church volunteers needed, programs, etc.; and instituting a shopping service for shut-ins and those in nursing homes.

I have met with several parish groups to talk about the needs of senior citizens and suggest ways to meet these needs. At Blessed Sacrament, several members of a Sunday school class are serving as friendly visitors to senior citizens who are disabled or otherwise unable to leave their homes.

Members of Sts. Peter and Paul Ladies Auxiliary have been working with the DeKalb Family and Children Services to provide transportation and work in their office. Several parish groups are in the process of identifying senior citizens in their parish to determine their specific needs.