Merry Christmas to everyone.
May the spirit of Christmas be among all of us whatever our religion or beliefs can be.

It is also the opportunity to thank you all for your many comments which are a great support to my work, I hope than one day I’ll get a better internet connection here in order to answer you better.

This sadhu was facing the holy waters of the Ganges before sunset.
He was finishing worshiping and paying an homage to the elements.

Best wishes from Benaras, the eternal city.

One evening in late August, Daniel and Caroline, known to most of their neighbors as Mr. and Mrs. Adams, sat in their rocking chairs on the porch. The sun had just disappeared over the hills and the sky was a wonderful canvas of pastel colors, ranging from soft orange to a deep purplish-blue.

Mr. Adams, glasses perched precariously on the edge of his nose, was doing the big Sunday crossword-puzzle. He was chewing on the end of an unlit pipe, but sometimes he laid it down and chewed on the end of his pencil instead as he thought about the clues. Mrs. Adams was holding a large square of needlepoint and stitching away at it. Every few moments, she put it down in her lap, rested her chin in her hand and gazed at the sporadic lights of the fireflies winking in and out in the front garden.

A stranger, happening to walk past this picturesque scene, would think that the grey-haired pair sitting on their front porch in wooden rocking chairs were a regular Granny and Gramps. The stranger would probably imagine that, inside the house, there would be something baking in the oven and an afghan thrown over the sofa. Easy to imagine, too, were the long weeks of bingo and naps, phone calls to the kids and an anticipation for the weekends during which the grandchildren would come over for milk and cookies. Strangers didn’t often walk past on this suburban street, though, so Mr. and Mrs. Adams weren’t subject to many such misconceptions about their lives.

In fact, both of them were professors at the rather prestigious liberal-arts university that sat in the valley twenty-five miles away. Mr. Adams was in the literature department and Mrs. Adams was in the psychology department, and although both were in their mid-sixties, neither had ever yet played bingo. Their weeks were normally busy with drives to and from the university, quiet evenings of grading papers interspersed with outings to lectures, staff-events or dinners with friends. They were even seen at the community center every Saturday night for salsa-lessons, along with a variety of young and old folk from the neighborhood. Mr. and Mrs. Adams were definitely not an idle pair.

Still, in late summer, they were on vacation. The summer term, which was an easy time for both anyway since they each taught only one or two courses for it, was now over and both husband and wife had finished grading all the final papers a few days earlier. In two weeks, they would both be beginning the fall semester and their lives would become hectic and busy again, but they were now enjoying some rest and relaxation, and sitting on the porch in the evening was one of their greatest pleasures.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the availability of $27 million dollars nationwide to older individuals with chronic conditions. The money, made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will work to help these individuals improve their health and reduce their use of costly medical care. Thus far, the Recovery Act has provided up to $650 million dollars to HHS for the Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative launched earlier this fall to promote evidence-based prevention strategies in communities and states across the country.

The HHS press release notes that, “Research has shown that prevention programs can improve the quality of life for older individuals, including frail seniors with multiple chronic conditions, and also reduce health care costs. The Recovery Act funds will put the results of HHS’ research investments into practice at more than 1,200 community-based sites across the country — reaching tens of thousands of older Americans and their families.”

“Too many seniors do not receive the recommended preventive and primary care they need,” said Assistant Secretary for Health, Dr. Howard K. Koh. “This program will strengthen the health care that our seniors need and deserve by coordinating and integrating care in the community.”

Click here to read the complete press release and for information on funding availability.

By Steven G. Mehta

The long awaited results of a trial San Luis Obispo recently came down.  The trial that took approximately three months to conduct finally resolved.  The verdict was reported by Nick Wilson of the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

Mr. Wilson wrote:

The family of a 96-year-old woman who developed a bedsore on her lower back was awarded $161,264 on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed against her caregivers, but two local doctors also named in the suit were found not responsible for any wrongdoing.

There were also allegations of elder abuse against the nursing home which the jury found to be unfounded.  According to Mr. Wilson’s interview with one of the jurors, the jury foreperson Cynthia Jenkins of San Luis Obispo said it was difficult for the jury to come to its decision after two days of deliberations. She said she felt concern for each of the parties involved in the suit.

“We didn’t think anyone was intentionally malicious,” Jenkins said. “We did think there was some carelessness [regarding the Nursing home]. But it was a tough spot for everyone.”

To read the rest of Mr. Wilson’s article, click on my elder abuse verdicts page here.

Seven TLR Riders took part in at least one ‘cross race this season, with a total of 37 recorded finishes for the team in 2009.  A few highlights:

– Taylor Carrington, 28th in BCR Men’s Open standings, 3 top 10s, 2nd at Cross at the River

– Rob Walshaw, 40th in BCR 35+/4 standings, 6/6 in top 20, 1 top 10 at the muddiest race of the year Blue Sky Velo Cup

– TLR Cycling 15th BCT Men’s Open, 19th in BCT 35+/4 team standings

Barb Proctor, our Meals on Wheels Volunteer Coordinator, greeted people at the Livermore Subaru dealership on Saturday, December 12, on behalf of LIFE ElderCare.  Despite the rainy day, two people bought a new 2010 Subaru and chose Meals on Wheels for their $250 “Share the Love” donation.

Share the Love Campaign

If you buy or lease a new Subaru now through January 4, 2010, $250 gets donated to your choice of five charities, one of which is Meals on Wheels.

Over at the blog “Considerations,” David Warkentin tells how he recently spent a couple hours in the library of Douglas College, being a book. It was part of  the Living Library, a movement designed to “promote dialogue, reduce prejudices and encourage understanding” amidst the diversity of our pluralistic world. It’s all about “engaging people,” he explains, “instead of just borrowing books.” David chose the title “Engaging Our Stories – Living Amidst Spiritual and Religious Diversity” for his book-self, and people could “borrow” him for up to a half-hour to discuss anything related to his topic. 

This sounded like a wonderful idea, and it got me thinking. What book could I be?

Most days I’m not an expert at anything, but I imagined for a moment that I might land in the “how-to” section of the library. Next I had some fun at my bookshelves, perusing them for what title(s) I might choose for myself. Here’s what I came up with — borrowing only the title, please realize, and not the contents! 

1. On the writing life.

Let’s see… How about Great Expectations (Dickens), or, continuing the metaphor more realistically, All Things Are Labor (Arnoldi). No, that just sounds pretentious. I think Wilderness Tips (Atwood) should do it here.

2. On marriage.

Well, besides 35 years of experience, what do I know? Two Solitudes (MacLennan) for starters. Marriage is good and definitely worth the perseverance, though, so let’s call me-on-marriage The Progress of Love (Munro).

3. On parenting.

Oh my, the possibilities are endless here! Expensive People (Oates), or Here Be Dragons (Newman). A Multitude of Sins (Ford) — mine, I mean — and then they’re Gone with the Wind (Mitchell). On balance, though, A Good House (Burnard). But it all comes down to two pieces of advice:  See the Child (Bergen) and Mercy Among the Children (Richards).

4. On the life of faith.

Well, that’s The Heart of the Matter (Greene) and some days, Such a Long Journey (Mistry). But perhaps what I’d like to get at is mystery and very life itself. How about Breathing Lessons (Tyler)?

5. On becoming an “elder” (chronologically, that is, not a position in the church).

Just at the very beginning here, so what I know so far is Independence Day (Ford), and The Reprieve (Sartre). Also a chance for Final Payments (Gordon) in a metaphorical sense, though when the recession eats at our RSPs, literally too. One faces ahead The Remains of the Day (Ishiguro), finds oneself in The Summer before the Dark (Lessing). The dark of death, yes, but only as transition. On, on, on, then, to The Radiant Way (Drabble).

(Thanks, D.W., for the idea!)

A festive holiday atmosphere inspired over 200 volunteers to sing along with LIFE ElderCare staff and their honored guests at the 2009 Annual Volunteer Appreciation Lunch, held December 8, 2009 in the Newark Hilton’s Grand Ballroom.  This year’s theme, Hearts That Care, acknowledged the enormous contribution made by over 500 volunteers through the organization’s four direct service programs, Meals on Wheels, Friendly Visitors, VIP Rides and Falls Prevention during the past year.

“You are the ambassadors of humanity,” said Mary Anderson, LIFE ElderCare’s Executive Director, “everybody in this room has shared a part of their heart with Tri-City elders, enriching their lives and providing services that help to maintain both health and independence.”

The three-hour event, sponsored by Janice Futch-Claridge, gave the local mayors a chance to express their appreciation.  City of Newark Mayor, David Smith equated the 40,000 hours of volunteer time given last year to the work of 20 full-time people every day of the week.  “You make people feel loved and respected and take pride in doing it,” he said.

City of Fremont Mayor, Bob Wasserman attended with his wife Linda, a long-time Meals on Wheels driver, and their new baby granddaughter, Willow.  “Our seniors appreciate the services but what they value even more is the personal, heartfelt connection  — and that’s something only caring volunteers can deliver,” he said.  Vice Mayor of Union City, Carol Dutra-Vernaci, added, “Volunteerism is so important in these difficult times, thank you so much for sharing your time with our city’s at-risk older adults.”

(Photo Credit – Elzer Ramos)

San Diego County Crime Stoppers is joining forces with the San Diego Police Department’s Elder Abuse Unit to help apprehend the suspect responsible for a serious assault case that occurred on November 12, 2009 in Clairemont Mesa.

At about 3:30 p.m. a 69-year-old man was removing old posters from around his neighborhood when a male in a black two-door car drove up. The man began cussing at and approaching the victim. There was a woman in the passenger seat of the car and she yelled at the victim that her dog was featured on the poster the victim had removed. The male then pushed the victim to the ground and left the area.

The victim struck his head on the sidewalk and sustained several injuries that required surgery to correct. He had previous medical conditions that were exacerbated by this incident and could have been life threatening for him.

The suspect is a white male, about 25, 6’ 165 – 175 lbs He had tattoos on his arms and possibly on his neck; he may have pierced ears and was wearing a white shirt. The victim believes there was a lot of yellow in the tattoos. The suspect drove up in a black two-door car, possibly an Infiniti, with out-of-state plates, a decal on the rear windshield that covers the top third of the window and contained white gothic letters and a modified chrome front bumper. The suspect’s first name may be Dillon and he is believed to frequent the Pacific Beach area. There was also a female in the front passenger seat and a white male in the rear passenger seat whose name might be Andrew.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on the identity of these suspects to call the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest. Anonymous email and text messages can be sent in via www.sdcrimestoppers.com

Media inquiries should be directed to Mónica Muñoz at (619) 531-2675. Questions about Crime Stoppers should be directed to Officer Jim Johnson at (619) 531-1500 or Deputy Adriana Uribe at (619) 531-1547.

For information leading to an arrest, you could receive up to a $1,000 reward and remain anonymous.  The qualification of any person(s) for the reward and the amount of the reward for any person(s) so qualifying will be determined by San Diego County Crime Stoppers, Inc, in its sole discretion.  The amount of all rewards given shall not exceed $1,000.  Information must be received on the tip line, (888) 580-8477.

There are two basic views when it comes to the charismatic gifts debate. One of these views is the cessationist view, which basically claims that charismatic gifts such as prophecy, speaking in tongues, and healing among other things ceased to happen after the New Testament. On the opposite side of the spectrum there is the continuationist view, which claims that such gifts have continued all the way until today and that Christians are still able to perform such gifts in their lives. Using Scripture and experience, it has become more than obvious to me that the continuationist view is the correct view to take on this subject.

It is seen throughout the entire Bible that when the Holy Spirit shows up, gifts, as well as signs and wonders, come with Him on regular occasions. Numbers 11 is proof of this. In this story, Moses gathers most of the seventy elders of Israel around the tent of the tabernacle where the Holy Spirit showed up. Verse 25 says, “Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again.” It is important to note that this does not mean that Christian prophecy will end. This particular moment of prophecy was different which The Bible Knowledge Commentary points out well. “All that was necessary was for their ministry to be publicly authenticated so the whole community could see that they possessed the same spiritual qualifications and authority as Moses himself.”

The Holy Spirit dates back all the way to the story of creation and it is obvious that He dwells in Christ in the New Testament (as shown through His gifts, miracles, and signs and wonders). We as Christians believe fully that Christ made the Spirit available to everyone who believes in Him so we should expect the Spirit to live as He always has. The Spirit was going to be so helpful that it would actually be more of an advantage that Jesus left so the Spirit could come as stated in John 16:7. The Willmington’s Bible Handbook points out that, “This does not mean that the Holy Spirit had no ministry in the world up to that time but that his ministry would now expand and intensify.” So if Christ is giving us the same Spirit He has, we should expect that this meant the Spirit was capable of doing and being much more than a super-conscience (as many cessationists have made Him out to be). And it is evidenced in Acts 2 that He does do much more since as soon as He enters Christians for the first time, they start speaking in tongues.

Jesus has become the avenue in which we receive the Spirit and He expects to see the outpouring of great works because of it. In John 14:12 He says “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” This is not a small statement to make as the very last verse of John states that “there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.” These verses are evidence that Christians are expected to do things even beyond what Jesus did. Matthew Henry’s Commentary made a great point on this subject. “In the kingdom of nature they should work greater miracles. No miracle is little, but some to our apprehension seem greater than others. Christ had healed with the hem of his garment, but Peter with his shadow, Paul by the handkerchief that had touched him.” Obviously Christians cannot do these things by themselves, but they need the Holy Spirit to do so.

My experience has made all of these verses real to me. It is one thing to say the Spirit is capable of doing these things, but it is a completely different thing to actually see it happen. For most of my life I was grown as a cessationist and I did not question it because I had yet to see the Spirit do anything. But after catching people slain in the Spirit, seeing healings happen, hearing tongues spoken, and hearing story after story of what the Spirit is doing, I cannot ignore that there are charismatic gifts today. For this reason, it is my opinion that the cessationist view has become a view of arrogance rather than an educated outlook on the Holy Spirit, because I am obviously seeing Him at work around me through charismatic gifts.

Because of my experience, I have no objection whatsoever to the continuationist view, and see all of the cessationist arguments as incredibly weak. Therefore, the only objection to charismatic gifts today that I can see, is really more of a question than an argument: How can we know that it is God doing these things today and not the perceptions of our own emotions or demonic forces?

There are several ways to answer this question, one of the first being that Christians need to learn how to discern what is and is not from God, and do so with other Christians. We can also look at the fruit of the situation to see if God was really present in what happened. But I think the best way to find out is for one to experience it himself. When a person sees someone healed (or perhaps is the person being healed) it will become much more obvious that God still does these things. Or if someone is prophesied over they just might fall to their face and worship God, declaring that God is there (1 Cor. 14:25). Most of the charismatic gifts that Christians practice are Biblical and until a cessationist tries to experience it, they will have a hard time understanding or believing it, which is not only their loss, but also the Holy Spirit’s.

Bibliography

Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-c1985). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (1:227). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Willmington, H. L. (1997). Willmington’s Bible handbook (619). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.

Henry, M. (1996, c1991). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume (Jn 14:12). Peabody: Hendrickson.

Amber and Andrew celebrated their birthdays today, and became elders! Amber’s aspiration meter is perma-platinum, even though she has not fulfilled her lifetime wish of graduating 3 of her kids from college. Andrew is really far behind his lifetime wish, however he did get a promotion! Gotta love spirit day.

I gave one of the teens, Jake, a makeover. He has some pretty snazzy hair and makeup. Yes, makeup. He laughed at himself in the mirror . I also changed the hair of one of Andrew’s alien twins, Emily.

I would have screenshots of these, but for some reason only two were saved in the designated folder. I’ll have to look for that, but not tonight.

Well, there we are again; another sleepless night.

Though this blog is down as being posted at half eleven in the evening, it is actually five in the morning as I write this. FIVE IN THE MORNING. I’m really sick of going to bed at a ridiculous time and waking up at midday. I suppose I could try and tough it out for 24 hours, but… well then I’ll just feel horrible. I’d rather get the sleep.

I spent the last few hours researching heraldry; I need to look into it but I think I may well be entitled to a coat of arms. Contrary to popular belief (as I have recently discovered) a coat of arms is not something you have a right to by having a certain surname, it is the right of individuals (not families), and can only be passed directly down the legitimate male line (except for extreme exceptions… like the Queen); in order to attain the right to bear a coat of arms in England and Wales (Scotland is a WHOLE other matter) one must provide proof of inheritance enough to satisfy The College of Arms. You can also apply to them for new armitage, if you aren’t entitled to any, and if you’re one of the very few they grant it to it’ll only set you back by five to ten thousand quid.

I’m not sure where I’m going with this really, but I found it interesting. I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the nature of inheritance; not of money or of property, but of family; duty and obligation. I’ve been thinking about what it all means, about the point that Prince Hal becomes Henry V.

The eldest son of an eldest son of an eldest son of… I have no idea how far back it goes. It’s a little strange really, to think of yourself as part of a lineage; to think that a name isn’t yours, it’s your families. It’s something people have killed and died for, something people have honoured and revered, something that (in some cases) has followed directly from father to son for hundreds, thousands of years. You have a responsibility to your name. To do it justice, to keep it respected, to further it’s repute – dishonour it and, archaic as it may sound, you dishonour every single ancestor that wore it before you, and every single descendant that ever will.

Intense stuff. Overwhelming, some might say.

Perhaps if more people felt a sense of pride and responsibility for their name, they’d think twice before making a fool of themselves; think twice before passing out drunk in gutters; think twice before hurling abuse at passers by; think twice before throwing a punch at the man whose face you don’t like. Perhaps if people had something to care about, anything, they might have a reason to… well, to try.

In any rehab programme they teach the importance of believing in something greater than yourself – be it religion, the family unit, a career, a vocation, a love – whatever; something greater. Without the thought that there is something that transcends you, without the thought that there’s something greater which is worth the sacrifice, which means that no matter how much you screw up all is not lost, without that all that’s left is you, and for an awful lot of people that isn’t enough.

Now religion’s no longer what it once was amongst the masses, the family unit is in tatters throughout so much of the land (or so the Daily Mail keeps telling us), careers and vocations have made way for Media Studies degrees and gap years, and love… well, divorce rates are up, marital affairs are up, paedophilia is up, teen pregnancies are up and rapes are up; ’nuff said. Under the circumstances are our Names not worth investing with some respect? As a Nation we must have a fair bit spare. Be it working to reclaim a name from shady ancestors, be it living up to the reputation of shining ones, or furthering the good work done by them so far, anyone with parents can respect a name – it’s already greater than the individual at birth. Why don’t we recognize this? They’re one of the few things we’ll always have, and one of the few things that’ll outlive us when we’re gone.

So all in all maybe it hasn’t been a wasted night. Maybe a four hour nocturnal introduction to heraldry could do us all more good than we know. Maybe not.

All I’d say, is that next time you’re being wild and instinctive, crazed and cantankerous, selfish, miserly, gluttonous, avaricious or just plain stupid, try and pause for a second and think on what you’re doing. Whether you’re treating that name you wear right.

Remember; you’re only keeping it warm for the next generation. Don’t leave a bad stain they’ll have to wash out.

-Cheers.

A lot of you may have heard of a “Power of Attorney”, also known as “attorney-in-fact”, but perhaps not all of you really know what it is exactly. There are two broad categories of powers of attorney: 1) Property Power of Attorney; and 2) Health Care Power of Attorney. We’ll address the health care power of attorney in a future blog, one that deals with a few separate documents that deal with health care matters. What I want to talk about here is the property power of attorney.

By assigning someone as your power of attorney, you give him or her the ability to make decisions on your behalf. In the case of a property power of attorney, you are giving someone the ability to make financial and legal decisions on your behalf.

The extent of power given to the power of attorney depends almost exclusively on the document itself. The authority can be as expansive or limited as the document allows, with certain exceptions and limitations imposed by law (e.g. one cannot delegate the authority to have another execute a will on his or her behalf). When in doubt, read the thing!

A power of attorney can either be “durable” or not. “Durable” means the power of attorney remains effective upon the incapacity of the “principal” (i.e. the person executing the document). This is an important time for someone to have the authority to act on you behalf, so I would almost always suggest making the power “durable”.

The power of attorney can also be “springing” or “immediate upon execution”. “Springing” means that the authority only arises upon the happening of some event (e.g. deemed incapacitated by two doctors), while “immediate upon execution” means as soon as the principal signs the document, the “agent” (i.e. first person named as power of attorney) has the authority to act on behalf of the principal.

It is really important for ANY person over the age of 18 to have a power of attorney in place. You never know when something terrible might happen, where you’ll need someone who can act on your behalf. Or maybe it is just a matter of convenience. You may travel a lot and need someone to be able to handle your affairs if you are out of the country. Parents, when your children head off to college, even though you may still be paying the bills, your right to legally act on behalf of your child ends when he or she turns 18. You will want a property power of attorney and a health care power of attorney in place.

If you are over 18 years old, then it is never too early to be prepared and to designate the person YOU CHOOSE to be able to act on your behalf on financial and legal matters. You can tailor the document to meet exactly your needs.

If you have specific needs or questions, it’s always best to speak directly with an attorney. Although our firm generally serves the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area, we would love to help you with any Estate Planning or Elder Law needs.

Even if you are outside of the Greater St. Louis area, feel free to call our office at 314-966-8077 or email me at pgantner@yourestatematters.com. If we cannot help you ourselves, we would be happy to refer you to an attorney in your area.

Don’t forget to check out Purcell & Amen, LLC on Facebook and Twitter!

Also visit us online at www.yourestatematters.com.

Best,

Paul Gantner
Attorney at Law

*The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.

I remember hearing years ago about how, with human knowledge and technology expanding at an increasingly rapid pace, we would someday find ourselves with a malady called “future shock.” In that state events and changes would be coming at us so fast that our coping mechanisms would overload. Sometimes I am not sure whether I am already there. Here I am, nearly sixty four years old, learning all of the latest and greatest new media like Linked In, Facebook, microweb pages, and the blogosphere in order to communicate with others my age or older [and yes, younger] about some universal truths that we are learning about life, death, aging and disability, family values, prudent investing and the like. Also about the rapidly changing world of estate taxes [think about it, if a billionaire dies within the next ten weeks his estate exceeding 3.5 million dollars will be taxed at 45 % or so while if he dies on January 1st or thereafter there will be no tax whatever], government benefits like Medicaid, Social Security and Veterans Administration Aid and Attendance. Our law firm is entirely devoted to trying to keep ahead of these areas of so we can advise our clients on making the best choices for the future. In addition we spend a great deal of our energy, frankly, trying to mitigate the effects of bad choices which they have made in the past. In the inimitable words of Pogo, [you remember from the comic strips?]we have met the enemy and it is us! Example:  an elderly client who, after narrowly escaping from the predations of a gold digger who was wanted in several states for financial exploitation of seniors, promptly turns around and marries another one. Big surprise: she turns out not to be quite the devoted companion he imagined.   So its Purcell & Amen to the rescue all over again!  If you log onto this blog from time to time, I’m sure you will find a lot of good information and ideas, and hopefully the experiences of others will be of value. More later DSP

*The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.

By Rhonda Rotterman, Executive Director of WNYAPCC

An Elder is not a connotation of ageism. It is a term that is used to define an individual who is wise, and or who has something to teach us.  This term is not limited to those who are “elderly” necessarily, but a term of endearment and honor that creates recognition for the individual as a teacher.

Barry Barkin, founder of the Live Oak Project, defines an “Elder” in the following way:

An Elder is a person who is still growing, still a learner, still with potential and whose life continues to have within it promise for, and connection to the future.  An Elder is still in pursuit of happiness, joy and pleasure, and his or her birthright to these remains intact.  Moreover, an Elder is a person who deserves respect and honor and whose work it is to synthesize wisdom from life experience and formulate this into a legacy for future generations.

Culture change fosters an environment in which everyone is inspired to support an Elder’s quality of life. It creates better ways for us to demonstrate respect for the Elder’s dignity, personhood and self-determination.

Why is this important?

Life is an ongoing accumulation of each and every person who has ever lived.  Life is defined by the interactions of all things at any given moment.  All living organisms have a relationship and significance to one another…we exist in this world together, each of us with our own particular gift to bestow.

In our society we need to recognize and respect those who have something to teach us, to celebrate and honor those who can bestow the gifts of their wisdom and life experience.

BUT… when we cease to develop relationships, to co-exist, to have significance, we first die on the inside and then on the outside.

They are like landmines set down by the enemy, to destroy the army. When the ‘tangalaki’ (as Elder Paisios called the devil and demons) sees that he cannot do any other kind of harm to the fighter, he then renders him useless with trivial things.

Then, you should also know that there are little tangalakis (demons) that do great damage all the same.