Not Home. Come Home.
2025 Lenten Reflections
LEAN IN & LEARN
Honoring our Elderly
“Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the Lord.”
Leviticus 19:32
Illustration by Eunice Sunmie Derksen
LEAN IN & LEARN
Members of God's family are called to care for the elderly, sick, and dying. Yesterday, we grounded ourselves in biblical theology and history. Today, we consider the statistics and facts – knowing that each number represents a real human experience, involving real people and real families.
In North America, we tend to marginalize the elderly, avoid the sick, and hide the dying away in institutions, but as Anglicans we can reclaim the church’s witness to the dignity of every stage of life. As you lean in and learn, consider how God might be calling you love the elderly in your family and community.
Some Quick Facts
In Canada:
As of 2021, Canada contains 2,076 nursing homes with 198,220 total beds, enough for 0.5% of the Canadian population.
The average cost for a semi-private nursing home room in Ontario is $2,455 per month.
The average age of a nursing home resident in Canada is 83.
Nursing home residents account for less than 0.5% of the Canadian population, but they accounted for 43% of COVID-19 deaths.
In the US:
The United States contains 15,600 nursing homes with over 1.7 million total licensed beds. That's the same ratio as in Canada: there are enough beds for 0.5% of the US population.
The median cost for a semi-private room is $8,390 per month.
The average age of a nursing home resident is 81.
Nursing home residents account for less than 0.5% of the U.S. population, but they accounted for over 21% of reported COVID-19-related deaths.
In Mexico:
The nursing home/long-term care industry in Mexico is new and burgeoning. Historically, many Mexicans have lived with their families as they age.
As of 2023, approximately 8% of Mexico’s population is above age 65.
Approximately 41.1% of the 65+ population lives in poverty, 34.6% lives in moderate poverty, and 6.6% lives in extreme poverty ($1.90 per day).
60% of Mexico’s workforce is “informal” (meaning no official contracts, set salary, or benefits), and within this percentage there are 32 million elderly that work informally. It is not uncommon to find a woman well past her 80s working 60-hour shifts in a supermarket.
It’s important to note that all three North American countries are experiencing exponential growth in their elderly populations, and generally speaking, none of them are prepared for the needs of this rapid expansion.
End-of-Life Care
End-of-life care is a crucial consideration for the human race, whose every member is imbued with dignity and made in the image of God. In the US alone, 7,000 people die every day. We will all face the end of our lives one day. How do you want the end of your life to look? What about the lives of those you love?
In the US, around 60% of those in nursing homes never receive a visitor.
That’s approximately 720,000 people.
360 people in a church of 600.
Zero visitors.
If loneliness increases the risk of premature death by nearly 30%, then it seems likely that the lives of many elderly are being cut short, as they are dying alone.
And unfortunately in Canada, medical assistance in dying (MAiD) has been legal since 2016, and is becoming more and more widespread. From 2016 to 2023, over 56,000 people in Canada received medical assistance to die. According to The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada's largest mental health teaching hospital, “Right now, MAiD in Canada is legal only for people on the basis of a physical health condition. People whose only medical condition is mental illness are not eligible for MAiD, but this is expected to change in March 2027.”
Meanwhile in the United States, it's become too expensive to treat illness, but also too expensive to die. High healthcare costs can lead to people delaying, avoiding, or stopping medical treatment, potentially leading to worse health outcomes and even death. And the expenses associated with end-of-life care, such as medical bills, funeral arrangements, and burial plots, can lead to significant financial strain for families, potentially causing them to struggle financially even years after the death of a loved one.
Reflect
Jesus offers us love in abundance. How can we extend that love to the elderly, the sick, the lonely, and the dying?
“Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and I will save.”
Isaiah 46:3,4
Give
If you’ve been encouraged by the beauty and depth of this Lenten journey, will you pass that encouragement forward? Your financial gift empowers Anglicans who are actively serving the poor and building communities of hope.
Will you stand with us to contend for shalom in North America through a monthly gift of $20, $30, $50, or $100?