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Loneliness among elderly is a threat to public health

Britain faces a ‘major public health challenge’ caused by the impact of long-term loneliness on elderly people, two charities have warned. Entitled ‘Promising approaches to reducing loneliness and isolation in later life’, the report details the impact of chronic loneliness – feeling lonely all or most of the time – can have on the health of older people. The research uncovered that one in four (2.9million) Britons aged 65 and over feel they have no one to go to for help and support. As well as serious implications for mental health, it found that chronic loneliness can be as harmful as smoking, increasing the risk of dementia, high blood pressure and depression. The report claims that health service funders and commissioners are suffering from a ‘knowledge gap’ as they struggle to meet the growing challenge of chronic loneliness. Laura Alcock-Ferguson, director of the Campaign to End Loneliness, said the framework is being offered to those councils which wish to use it.

Some more information can be found here.

The Scriptures are full of examples of those who, for the sake of the Kingdom, left behind comfort and security and stepped out in faith to walk hand in hand with the Lord into the land that He had promised them.

It was such a joy this past week to join with medical professionals and others from all over Europe who have this kind of Biblical mind-set. Many of those who gathered in Sremski Karlovci for the HCFI Europe Prayer Week have put their profession in second place and some have left their family, friends and country, in order to work to see the Kingdom of God come in the healthcare field of the place where they have been called to serve.

The January Prayer Week is a time of personal and corporate preparation for the year to come for HCFI members and our friends from partner organisations. It’s a wonderful time of fellowship, worship and prayer. It’s also a time of solitude – we took time to be alone with the Lord and our meeting place on the banks of the River Danube was an ideal place to be still and hear His voice.

From the first evening meeting, when we were encouraged to ‘count our blessings’, through the daily teaching and prayer times where we explored the theme ‘Compassion and building the Kingdom of God’, and during the evening celebration and worship times, we were encouraged and convicted to stay closer to Him, to lean on Him and to serve Him more compassionately and boldly.

As we challenged ourselves to consider how our personal walk with the Lord affects our professional/ministry lives, we received the following snippets:

Are we bringing the reality of heaven, not just the doctrine of heaven, to our colleagues and patients?
To build the Kingdom of God is to manifest the heart of God wherever we are.
Building as God builds is building relationally.
As we looked at the River Danube, sometimes blue, sometimes grey, reflecting the sky; we asked – what are we reflecting? How do people see us?
Corrie Ten Boom says – ‘Faith brings the unreality of hope to the reality of now! Hope is future, faith is now.’

We asked ourselves ‘What does it mean to be compassionate?’ and ‘What does compassionate healthcare look like?’ During our prayer times for the healthcare situations in our various countries, we used the following breakdown of the story of the Good Samaritan. You also may like to use this as you pray for healthcare in your country?

THE GOOD SAMARITAN.

The care-giver in the story was a stranger and from a different culture. Think of those who serve in healthcare that have come from different countries – pray for their needs.
The person in need required first-aid, medication and medical transport. Think and pray for first aid workers, for the ambulance service, for hospital Emergency Departments. Thank God for our pharmacies and the availability of medicines.
It is interesting to note that the two ‘medications’ referred to in the story (oil and wine) are often symbols of the Holy Spirit in other parts of Scripture. How we need the ministry and wisdom of the Holy Spirit in all aspects of care-giving.
The person needed a facility (the inn) in which to be cared for – pray for our healthcare facilities, hospitals, clinics etc.
The person needed others to assist – think of teamwork and partnerships in multidisciplinary healthcare.
Follow up care was needed (discharge from hospital) ‘.. .when I return.. .’ Patients often need more support in many aspects of life when they have left hospital.
The person needed financial support for the care he received.
The person needed compassion, sacrifice of time and a change of plans on the part of the carers. Let’s pray that we will become more compassionate, caring and sacrificial in our care-giving.

We also asked the Lord to share with us something of His heart for healthcare in Europe and consequently found ourselves praying into obstacles that prevent Christian healthcarers from ministering with compassion. These included fear, the distress, disgrace and reproach such as is found in Nehemiah 1:3 and the gap between the generations.

He also gave us much encouragement and keys to pray, including:

The compassion and hope we need only comes from intimacy with Him.
Speak out blessings over people and places – replace complaining with blessing!
Declare his mighty works.
Remembering that we are His temple and we carry His presence into our workplaces.
Take risks and step out in faith – even though suffering might come.

These keys led to many rich times of prayer as we interceded for healthcare in Europe and further afield.

One of the wonderful blessings of holding the January Prayer Week in a different part of the Greater Europe region each year is that we have opportunity to pray specifically for the country that is hosting us. This year, having had an afternoon guided tour of Sremski Karlovci and the nearby city of Novi Sad, we were blessed during our evening session to have a Serbian Evangelical minister (Pastor Bera) and a local gospel singer (Darijo) share with us something of the history and culture of the region.

What a privilege to pray for the church and healthcare in the Balkans. ‘May they continue to sing a new song – a song of praise to our God’.

I hope this short report gives you a ‘taste’ of the prayer week. In January 2016, God willing, we shall meet again in the Alsace region of France. Please plan to join us if you can!

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HCFI Europe Prayer Week 2015 – Sremski Karlovci, Serbia

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