April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
PASTORAL CARE
Upcoming talk will cover aging and resilience
Upcoming talk will cover aging and resilience
Dr. Melissa Kelley, an associate professor of pastoral care and counseling at Boston College of Theology and Ministry, will deliver the talk at the diocesan Pastoral Center in Albany, but it will also be broadcast live via videoconferencing to six parishes around the Diocese: St. Henry's in Averill Park, St. Patrick's in Catskill, St. Edward the Confessor in Clifton Park, St. Francis de Sales in Herkimer, St. Mary's in Oneonta and Our Lady of the Annunciation in Queensbury.
Dr. Kelley is also certified in thanatology: the study of death, dying and bereavement. She spoke with The Evangelist about her upcoming presentation.
Q: Will this be more of a workshop or a talk?
Dr. Kelley: "I want to talk first about the experience of illness or aging. It's really multi-dimensional. For many people, the pain that can come with losses or aging may be losses for the caregivers, too. We will talk about what those losses are and how important it is to cultivate and sustain resilience. We have to be able to keep going and not just get by. [There's also] the idea of spiritual reliance: How do we draw on the gifts of the faith to cultivate that resilience? [There will be] time at the end for questions and answers."
Q: What should people expect to learn?
Dr. Kelley: "I hope people will have had the opportunity to think about whatever losses they may be facing, whether they themselves are aging or whether they are caregivers. On the hopeful side, what are the resources that we have, particularly from our faith, that can fortify us - that can strengthen us, make us more resilient? Losses are inevitable at some point in our lives."
Q: Who should attend this presentation?
Dr. Kelley: "Anyone who has a concern about illness or aging, whether they are professionals or ministry volunteers; but family members could come, too, [or] folks who themselves are dealing with it. My hope is that we will be some sort of help to all."
Q: This will be remotely broadcast to many locations. What do you think about that?
Dr. Kelley: "I don't think it's easy for people to get up in the morning and come to a presentation on something very difficult. Sometimes it's just hard to focus on loss or focus on these challenging experiences. I am always admiring people who make that effort. It's not like coming to a presentation on gardening or quilting. This has such potential emotional weight for people if they are living it. I really do feel admiration for people who are coming to this.
"If we're not living this now, as people who are aging or caring for someone who is, it's only a matter of time till it's us. That's the human experience. I hope this feels inviting to people. If people are feeling down, there's hope. My hope is this could be an energizing thing. It is always possible to become more resilient."
Q: How do you focus on the positive?
Dr. Kelley: "I draw a little bit on the research of resilience. People are fascinated with it. There's quite a lot of research on what fosters resilience. Resilience is not just something that we want to talk and think about medically, but also in faith. What do we have to support us in this as we walk this very human walk?"[[In-content Ad]]
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