Religious orders grapple with aging membership

Religious orders of sisters in the Albany Diocese are dealing with crucial eldercare questions as their membership ages.

Women who entered the convent in some of the most fruitful times for vocations in the 20th century are growing older. As a result, questions and concerns regarding their care and support are becoming more urgent, said Sister Mary Kay Ryan, CSJ, a member of the leadership team of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.

"We're going to have problems because we are a part of society," she said; "and it's not just going to be our order."

Challenges

The religious status of the in-house infirmary at St. Joseph Provincial House in Latham doesn't keep it from experiencing the same challenges faced by secular nursing facilities, including program expansion to meet healthcare needs and difficulty attracting nursing staff.

"One of our challenges is how to continue to provide for [the sisters'] needs when there is a shortage of healthcare professionals to assist," Sister Kay said. "We're facing what every other nursing facility is facing."

Sister Mary Walter Boyle, DC, assistant to the Daughters of Charity superior, and other workers at St. Louise Home at the order's Provincial House in Menands endeavor to make life there as homelike for the senior sisters as possible. They pack the schedule with picnics, activities, daily Masses, the Rosary and other prayers, and the continued expression of community life.

"We call it a 'powerhouse of prayer,'" said Sister Mary Walter. "We have a lot of sisters coming and going from the provincial house who visit our senior sisters while they're there. In a nursing home, many times the residents don't know one another. Here, they know each other their entire life. When one of us dies, it's like family."

Young and old

As with families, the younger generation cares for the older in religious orders. But that is made more difficult by the shortage of young sisters.

For example, when Sister Jane Graves, DC, the Daughters of Charity treasurer, entered the convent, 54 women stood beside her. Currently, only one woman is in formation.

"It's a big change," she said. "While we're very happy [with the one novice] and we hope to welcome more, they won't replace the numbers we used to get. It's still a case of [very few] young supporting the old, like in Social Security."

Resources

To provide the medical services the older sisters need, the orders rely partly on the earning power of the sisters still in active ministry. Unfortunately, many orders find themselves dealing with fewer sisters in active ministry than the past, making it necessary to rely on savings, investments, and governmental assistance through Medicare and Social Security.

Retired Sisters of Mercy, for example, are cared for by using the order's funds until they are in need of the services only a nursing home can provide. Sisters are then supported by Medicaid and Medicare.

Older nuns reside in McAuley Residence and Villa Mary Immaculate in Albany, and at Our Lady of Mercy Life Center in Guilderland, said Sister Helen Dillon, RSM, director of McAuley. In the facilities, laypeople live alongside senior sisters, attending Mass with them at the Motherhouse chapel on New Scotland Avenue.

Sister Helen said that "when people run out of their private funds, some facilities make them leave. The unique part about McAuley is that we do not. They get all the same services they received before."

Funding sources

Paying for senior sisters' medical bills comes from many sources. At the Sisters of St. Joseph, fundraisers such as ziti dinners become "big pieces of caring for the elderly," said Sister Mary Kay.

Sister Jane is extremely grateful for the foresight of her predecessors, who bought into Social Security, chose to participate in Medicare programs and saved. Years ago, the Daughters of Charity set up a retirement fund for the order that is similar to a personal retirement fund. They rely on that, as well as savings by generations of sisters.

"In former days, we were lucky to have lots of sisters," said Sister Jane. "Although nobody made very much, we were able to put away quite a bit in retirement funds."

Uncertainty

Nevertheless, Sister Jane shares the trepidation that many people feel when confronted with the uncertainties that can crop up. Religious communities -- like society in general -- are experiencing skyrocketing medical costs, and dealing with changing and shifting laws.

"In a few years, we will really not have enough to cover costs," she explained. "With medical costs increasing, you don't know where it's going to go. It's escalating faster than the normal cost of living."

Sister Helen agreed. "Medical costs are major. And not only for our seniors -- for everyone."

(Many religious orders care for senior sisters in on-campus facilities staffed by trained healthcare professionals. These include the St. Louise Home at the Daughters of Charity Provincial House in Menands; the Sisters of Mercy-run McAuley Residence in Albany, connected to the sisters' Motherhouse; and the in-house infirmary at the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Provincial House in Latham.)

(9/23/04)