Seidl L
Health Prog. 1988 Mar;69(2):76-81.
For the immediate future, the attention and resources of healthcare will be focused on the increasing number of elderly individuals. But the American population is ill-prepared to handle the psychosocial aspects of this enormous population shift. Too often this country's mind-set toward the elderly is exemplified by its stereotypes. The ramifications of these biases are ethical, political, social, religious, and economic. Pastoral care should identify and create avenues to address the spiritual needs of the elderly, which can be categorized under three major areas: 1. The need to find a meaning and purpose to life 2. The need to feel a sense of belonging and love 3. The need to find reconciliation with God and the human community One tool to address these needs is the "life review", whose fundamental operational principle is that memory confers identity. The pastoral care professional identifies, interprets, and probes the remembrances and reminiscences of the elderly to help them find understanding and hope in the waning days of life.
在不久的将来，医疗保健的关注点和资源将集中在数量日益增加的老年人身上。但美国民众对应对这一巨大人口结构变化所带来的心理社会层面准备不足。这个国家对老年人的思维模式常常以刻板印象为典型。这些偏见的影响涉及伦理、政治、社会、宗教和经济等方面。牧灵关怀应识别并开辟途径来满足老年人的精神需求，这些需求可归为三大类：1. 寻找生命意义和目的的需求；2. 感受归属感和爱的需求；3. 与上帝及人类社会达成和解的需求。满足这些需求的一个工具是“生命回顾”，其基本运作原则是记忆赋予身份认同。牧灵关怀专业人员识别、解读并探究老年人的记忆和回忆，以帮助他们在生命的暮年找到理解和希望。
