Readings: Acts of the Apostles 4:8-12; Psalm 118; 1 John 3:1-2; John 10:11-21
While teaching, Jesus made his point by using everyday examples from the lives of those amongst whom he lived. In today’s teaching, Jesus uses the example of the Good Shepherd. Unless we have lived on the Navajo reservation, few of us would be familiar with shepherding. We might get the gist of what he meant by being a good shepherd, but this example probably won’t hit home as well as a more current example. Since many of us have had to place our parents in nursing homes and assisted living arrangements, ‘good caregiver’ might make Jesus’ point better than ‘good shepherd.’
For me, the example of the good caregiver would raise more than a little Catholic guilt about how well I cared for my parents. In their elder years, my parents lived 2,500 miles away, so I had to rely exclusively on ‘hired’ caregivers. My trips across the country were infrequent and, as a result, my direct involvement did not have a large impact on the quality of care they received. They were being cared for by the “hired hands.” Even though they were residents with very good living arrangements cared for by professionals, there is really no substitute for the kind of care that can be given by a loving family member. The hired caregiver, who is not a family member and whose patients are not his own, sees a difficult senior as a burden and may more readily resort to anti-anxiety or sedatives. Sadly I saw this happen with my parents. Fortunately for my parents, however, I have a sister who is a nurse who could intervene at times, but she could not be there much of the time.
As much as our parents may miss the personal touch of family members, there are other elders that do not belong to our families who are even less fortunate than our parents when it comes to elder care. These also need the loving kindness of good caregivers. They are the many seniors that are aging out on our streets, and whose chronic homelessness is tragic. Many are blind, or crippled, have mental illness or brain diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s. Even if they are not yet facing these critical issues they often find themselves lonely and in dangerous situations.
In Phoenix we have an organization called The Justa Center (justacenter.org), which addresses many of the problems of seniors who are aging out on our streets. Their motto is: “Seniors Deserve A Place To Call Home.” I am fortunate to serve at The Justa Center a couple of days a week. I say, “I am fortunate,” because not only am I able to assuage my guilt of the past, but it also allows me to express my faith in action.
The Justa Center is a day resource center for seniors aged 55 and older who are homeless in the metro Phoenix area. Of the roughly 130 people served every day, nearly 30 percent of them are veterans, 42 percent of our members are women. Many times homelessness happens because of a death of a spouse and that spouse was the one who managed the finances. For our veterans, it is often due to Post Traumatic Stress (PTS).
The mission of Justa Center is the transformation of the lives of all individuals with whom we come into contact. This transformation happens in a variety of ways. For our members, it is through empowerment and the identification of their own needs that help them formulate solutions to their challenges, both of homelessness and of living as a homeless person.
For our staff, volunteers, and others who come to the Center, this transformation takes place when people can see the humanity in each other, regardless of their place in life. The act of people helping people leads to the transformation of lives. If you are reading this reflection in the Phoenix area, call us (602.254.6524) and make an appointment to make a visit. If you are far away, find a few like-minded people and brainstorm about how you can help the elderly who are living on the streets in your community.
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