In Psalm 90 verse 10 it says, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten and if by reason of strength they be fourscore,”. The writer of that ancient poetry seemed to think that the expected life span was 70 years and one would be beating the odds to live to 80. But according to Statistics Canada the Canadian population is aging. In 2011, the median age in Canada was 39.9 years, meaning that half of the population was older than that and half was younger. In 1971, the median age was 26.2 years.
Seniors make up the fastest-growing age group. This trend is expected to continue for the next several decades due mainly to a below replacement fertility rate (i.e. average number of children per woman), an increase in life expectancy, and the aging of the baby boom generation. In 2011, an estimated 5.0 million Canadians were 65 years of age or older, a number that is expected to double in the next 25 years to reach 10.4 million seniors by 2036. By 2051, about one in four Canadians is expected to be 65 or over.
We are experiencing the ‘gray tidal wave’ everywhere and especially in the church. Those who valued the traditional values of church and community participation are still the pillars of many mainline congregations even as their hair grays and their steps slow. We have many, many people here at BUC who are in the “Over-80 Club” and a few who are over 100 years of age.
Living longer is a paradox: the Bible sees long life as a blessing but our advanced medical care and improved diet means extended life beyond the imagination of previous generations. With age comes limited physical ability and the older people get the more cognitive problems they face. The World Health Organization says dementia numbers are about to soar. Their projection says that while we have 35.6 million cases of dementia worldwide today by the year 2050 there will be 115.4 million cases. These numbers are staggering especially when we consider the social impact of caring for people with dementia. Do you think that we are ready to face the challenges of this reality? Does the church have a particular role in caring for our aging population? If so, how are we doing?
