Older age reimagined

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby explores the blessings that come with age, the plans God has for older believers, and a radical reimagining of social care which places relationships at its heart

This is, I think, God’s great blessing as we grow older. As we understand more about the frailties of being human, it becomes possible to enter into deeper and more truthful relationships with others and with the God who became human. Increased physical decline reminds us not just of our dependence of God, and not just where our value truly lies, but also invites us to enter ever deeper in to the fragility and the hope of Christ, and live it out in an entirely new way. (This is not to say that young people can’t or don’t have a deep and profound faith. I merely mean that faith in Jesus is a relationship, and relationships tend to grow, deepen and strengthen with time.)

These gifts are often missed, or misunderstood, in a society that values visible power – whether physical, status, material – and is fearful of perceived ‘weakness’. As we approach Christmas, and my family comes together across the generations, I often think of one of the most beautiful stories of the Christ-child – the presentation at the Temple at Candlemas.

"As we understand more about the frailties of being human, it becomes possible to enter into deeper and more truthful relationships with others and with the God who became human.”

In this story, recounted in Luke 2:22-40, Mary and Joseph take the baby Jesus to the Temple, as per Jewish custom. The Holy Family is met in the Temple by Simeon and Anna; elderly, faithful servants of God, who become the first people to recognise Christ as the Messiah. In this scene, two ‘outsiders’ become as intimate as family members.

The elderly couple are those who announce the future, those who see the promise of God and receive His promises in their lifetimes. This tableau speaks to the truly radical role I think God gives older people in our society. He calls Simeon and Anna to be those who are the first to recognise and herald the Messiah, to be bold in prophecy, to bear witness to what they have seen, and to be faithful to God.

Simeon and Anna are a fundamental part of the Christian story. They announce the arrival of Jesus to the world even as they are reaching the end of their own lives. Here, for me, is a wonderful example of older people in the community – welcomed, valued, wise, prophetic.

It is striking for me that Simeon and Anna are not related to the family; it’s an example of the community relationships that are so important in our society. When it comes to social care, it too often has been a familial obligation. Members of a family have often had to struggle to provide care, battling with their own needs to give their loved one the care they deserve. Social care should be a community obligation, not just a family one; a core part of living in society together that we form the webs of care and support for those who need them – both those who provide care and those who depend on it.

The fact is that almost all of us, at some point in our lives, or someone we love will be in need of care and support. As medical care and standards of living improve, an increasing number of people are living well into their 90s. They should be supported to live their best life possible well into older age, whether that be independently, in assisted living, or in homes such as those provided by Pilgrims’ Friend Society. As far as possible this should be an individual’s choice – professionals should work with the person and their families, supporting them in making those choices about care, as opposed to the system deciding what is best for them, based on a narrow set of parameters which are mostly driven by cost.

"Social care should be a community obligation... a core part of living in society together that we form the webs of care and support for those who need them.”

The provision of social care is not just about pounds and pence (although a well-funded system is of course very important). There needs to be fairness and equity in properly funded social care. At the moment we have the meanest of means-testing – which leads to many falling between the cracks. The cost of living crisis is impacting the poorest the hardest this winter.

We will not be able to fix social care overnight, of course, but it is my hope that the Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care, which Archbishop Stephen Cottrell and I set up, and which is led by Professor Anna Dixon and Bishop James Newcome, might ask some of the important questions and offer a vision for the future when it publishes its report ‘Care and Support Reimagined’ (due out on 24th January 2023 at time of writing). My prayer is that it will be an encouragement to our society to reflect the image of God in every person. It will consider the need to rebalance our roles and our responsibilities, so that everyone plays their part in mutual, covenantal relationships. And we need to redesign the social care system so it is built around the needs and preferences of those who rely on it.