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| Old Woman Dozing (by Maes) |
Nevertheless, the Pope stressed to them that "life can be beautiful at every age" (especially when your home is the Vatican rather than some white-walled ward).
Before going back to a life filled with purpose and excitement, he added: You must never lock yourself in sadness…
Perhaps this particular Sant' Egidio community that he visited is markedly different from the multitude of old-age homes that emphasize sanitation over sanity.
A 1992 study by Abrams, Teresi and Butin of Cornell University Medical College indicated that depression in nursing home residents is
rampant. Here is a
quote from their abstract: It is apparent that depression in long-term care
facilities is a condition with doubtful
prognosis and negative medical, social and
financial consequences.
"Amy B." is a Yahoo! Contributor with an extensive professional background in the field of psychology.
Speaking from her own personal and work experiences, Amy writes: Anybody in their right mind would
be depressed if all of
a sudden they were taken away from their
beloved home, denied the ability to go
anywhere at all, told what to do all the time,
lost all personal rights, and was subjected to
total strangers day in and day out who see
you in your most intimate ways… Sadly,
nursing homes fail to address the
emotional and psychological needs of
their residents…
It's not surprising that Pope Benedict also reported feeling younger after visiting this old-age home. Who
wouldn't after realizing how wonderful it is to still be able to leave…
Resources
http://news.yahoo.com/life-beautiful-pope-tells-fellow-elderly-230721965.html
http://voices.yahoo.com/depression-commonplace-among-nursing-home-residents-2517604.html?cat=5
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1600481
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