Fearon-Giannoni Susan
Maryknoll Residential Care, Maryknoll, NY 10545, USA.
Care Manag J. 2006 Spring;7(1):35-40. doi: 10.1891/cmaj.7.1.35.
Religious groups like the Maryknoll Sisters have been examining their demographics for years and seeking ways to deal with the aging of their communities while facing diminishing numbers of new members. In 1999, the Sisters projected that in the year 2010, they would number 447, and 359 of them would be over the age of 65 years; 228 would be over the age of 75! Each Sister and the Maryknoll community as a whole deal with aging using the strengths of their lifestyle, spirituality, and support systems. They have learned that they must discern their future with a notion inspired by St. Augustine, "solvitur ambulando,"--it is solved by walking. This article considers one religious community's approach to long-term care at the beginning of the 21st century using personal stories and highlighting some of the options the Maryknoll Sisters have developed.
像玛利诺外方传教会修女这样的宗教团体多年来一直在研究其人口统计数据，并在新成员数量不断减少的情况下，寻求应对团体老龄化问题的方法。1999年，修女们预计到2010年，她们的人数将为447人，其中359人将超过65岁；228人将超过75岁！每一位修女以及整个玛利诺团体都利用她们的生活方式、灵性和支持系统的优势来应对老龄化问题。她们明白，必须以圣奥古斯丁所启发的理念“边走边解决”来洞察自己的未来。本文通过个人故事，探讨了21世纪初一个宗教团体的长期护理方式，并着重介绍了玛利诺外方传教会修女们所制定的一些选择。
