With so much negative commentary on the trials of old age and on the social cost of an ageing population, Julia Burton-Jones, Anna Chaplaincy’s training and development lead, reflects on the challenges of ageing through the lens of faith.
31 August 2025
Preparing to age well
Working in Anna Chaplaincy I have the privilege of meeting many older people and hearing their perspectives on reaching the ‘fourth age’ of life. I see these people as guides to how I might live well in my 80s and 90s, if I am blessed to survive that long. I can’t help but wonder what will give my life meaning and purpose. How will my faith equip me to navigate the challenges I see older people facing as a result of living into advanced old age?
‘Ageing well’ is the goal of countless initiatives to ensure we ‘add life to years’ in a time in our history when we are ‘adding years to life’ at an astonishing rate. Longevity is something to which we aspire, but only if our lives in these final years see us flourishing and fulfilling all that we are meant to be.
To age well, we are told, we need to do the work in our middle years and not wait until we retire. Just as we are encouraged to plan financially, we are urged to prepare physically and mentally. Many of the long-term conditions that compromise our independence and stop us enjoying being very old might be prevented through lifestyle changes earlier in life. We can reduce the risk of dementia, stroke, diabetes and other conditions by building activity and cognitive challenge into our daily routines, and by eating well and staying a healthy weight.
How will my faith equip me to navigate the challenges I see older people facing as a result of living into advanced old age?
Spiritual preparation for later life
If planning ahead and preparing helps ensure financial provision and maximises our health in later life, can we do anything to equip ourselves spiritually? This year Anna Chaplains have been attending retreats entitled ‘Ageing with Grace’, led by Anna Chaplaincy trainer and Blackburn Diocese co-ordinator Katherine Froggatt and her husband Hugh Kidd. Katherine and Hugh encourage participants to think about their own ageing:
- What is God’s invitation to me as I get older or walk alongside others?
- What am I praying for in this ageing journey?
- What spiritual practices might support me at this time?
Anna Chaplains are not alone in being busy people, focused on their ministry and the people they support, alongside many other roles and responsibilities. Intentionally taking time out to consider their own ageing is a discipline, but one that has been invaluable in giving space to explore ageing and faith for themselves.
What is God’s invitation to me as I get older or walk alongside others?
Finding purpose in old age
On 2 October I am leading a short course at Sarum College with the principal James Woodward, who is a theologian on ageing and dementia. The title of the course is ‘What is Old Age For?’
Our working assumption for the day is the conviction that these years of our lives are good and fruitful. There is adventure and new things to discover about ourselves, our faith and the world around us. Within this context we shall explore the nature of generativity and its possibility for growth and fulfilment as we embrace the richness and complexities of ageing. Generativity is a term coined by psychologist Erik Erikson in the 1950s to describe in older people a ‘concern for establishing and guiding the next generation’.
In preparing for the study day at Sarum, James and I are working with several older people in drawing out themes for discussion. I have been speaking with Dorie, an Anna Friend in Rochester Diocese, who is in her late 80s and about to be recommissioned for a further term in this role. Despite multiple health challenges, Dorie is committed to doing what she can to make a difference in the lives of the residents at the local care home, even though she is older and frailer than many of those she visits. There is a deeply held need to contribute in later life to family, church and community. In a spiritual sense, the best way to retire is not to retire.
Despite multiple health challenges, Dorie is committed to doing what she can to make a difference in the lives of the residents at the local care home.
Valuing older people
In Anna Chaplaincy a key message to churches is that older people have far more to give than we often realise. Anna Chaplains seek to value their role and enable them to stay connected in ways that acknowledge, not only the pastoral needs that can arise in later life, but also the invaluable wisdom and faith stories of those who are very old. A common refrain from older church members who have relinquished their active volunteering is that they feel unseen, no longer relevant. It is as if we have adopted the assumption of the wider society that when you cease to be ‘productive’ and contribute in more active ways, you are of less value. In the kingdom of God, we are valued for who we are, not just what we do.
Intergenerational activities offer mutually enriching opportunities for younger and older people to share the distinctive gifts they each bring to church and community. Messy Church and Messy Vintage and brilliant models in creating these interconnected communities where everyone has a part to play.
In the kingdom of God, we are valued for who we are, not just what we do.
Cherishing people with dementia
If older people generally feel invisible, seeing themselves as a ‘burden’ to their families and communities when they become frail, how much more so for people with dementia. Anna Chaplains strive to ensure that having a diagnosis of dementia is not a reason for anyone to be sidelined, for their place in community to be diminished. In accompanying people with dementia, we learn precious truths about God’s love we wouldn’t otherwise learn, as we see God’s spirit at work in them.
World Alzheimer’s Day is 21 September. What better opportunity to challenge the stigma that sadly persists around dementia? In cherishing people with dementia and their families, the church can convey the vital message that all older people are loved and valued.
