To the III
International Conference
of the
Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers
SAFEGUARD AND DEFEND THE PERSONALITY OF THE ELDERLY
10 November 1988
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1.My respectful and cordial greeting
goes out to you. I am happy about this meeting; it enables me once again to
have contact with numerous qualified masters of Medicine present here to take
part in this International Conference, which the Pontifical Council for
Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers has opportunely sponsored on the
subject of "Longevity and the Quality of Life".
The topic is seen to be of great
current interest in the light of the modified percentages of the different age
groups in the world population. Today, throughout the world, a constant increase in the number of elderly
persons is in fact being reported: this entails a greater ethical, moral,
political, social, and organizational commitment by all so that adequate
security and effective care will be guaranteed for them.
Not only the world of medicine is involved, whose task is to make possible
the well-being of this particular age group by preventing illnesses and
promoting all that is feasible to ensure
the elderly’s self-sufficiency; also under discussion
are the family and community structures, whose duty it is
to take steps so that the elderly may continue to express themselves as active
elements incorporated into their family and social context. Only the solidarity
commitment of all can enable the elderly to obtain proper recognition of their
active presence in society. If, on
account of its scope, the problem of making the most of the third age is in
fact modern, ancient is the insight into the legitimacy of the elderly’s desire to continue to be constructively integrated into
life, not just that of the family,
but as individuals and in association with others.
This desire corresponds to the
serious moral obligation, perceived by the conscience of every man and
sanctioned by Sacred Scripture as well, to offer adequate care to the elderly.
Among the commandments of the Decalogue, there is one which states, “Honor your
father and your mother as the Lord God
has commanded you” (Dt 5:16). The Bible does not call
our attention only to the respect and obedience due parents, but also to the
obligation in justice of assisting and caring for them when they are no longer
capable of providing for themselves: “Remember that they have begotten you;
what will you give them in exchange for all they have given
you?” (Si 7:28).
2.The great social and cultural
changes of the last fifty years, connected with technological progress, itself
the result of an extraordinary development in the field of science, have profoundly modified the relations among
generations. In developing countries, local cultures have conserved
stronger links with tradition and a
more stable role for the elderly, regarded as an expression of family unity.
But in the industrialized nations evolution has been so rapid and far-reaching
that it has deeply transformed the social context based on the patriarchal
family: the situation of the elderly has suffered the consequences in a marked
way.
At the same time, more widely
applied hygiene, preventive medicine, modern pharmaceuticals, and better and
more appropriate nourishment have raised man’s average lifespan in these
countries by about thirty years in
less than a century. Hence the notable percentage increase of the elderly. This
increase poses a series of problems of a structural and economic order to which
society labors to respond.
3. Sociologists and physicians
distinguish two categories of elderly
people, the self-sufficient and those who are not, avoiding, however, the
consideration of motor sufficiency alone as a discriminating factor, since a
good many of the elderly affected by motor non-self-sufficiency, enjoy full
psychic balance and marked mental lucidity. As is obvious, if the problems of
the first category are lesser, more serious and pressing are those posed by the
non-self-sufficient, for whom safe, dignified, and specific care must be
procured.
The present International Conference
seeks to take up these problems, stressing the
close link which must be maintained between longevity and quality of life.
Indeed, it is not enough to ensure the satisfaction of the primary needs
connected with longevity: the exigencies
posed by the personal dignity of the elderly must also be taken into
account, making available to them the set of benefits which will enable them to
lead a life accompanied by activity suitable for their age. Only adequate
employment of physical and psychical energies can, in fact, safeguard in them
solid awareness of themselves and a constructive will to live. A less clear-cut
distinction among different age groups and even the possible prospect of life
in a certain sense without age depend, therefore, on the quality of life we
manage to ensure for the elderly.
4.Today the rejection of the
patriarchal family model, especially in rich countries, has in fact favored the
growing phenomenon of entrusting the
elderly to public or private facilities which, in spite of good intentions,
are generally not in a position to help them completely to overcome the barrier
of psychological isolation and, above all, family marginalization, depriving
them of the warmth of the family, of interest in society, of love for life.
Sheltering facilities must thus be created which will pay greater attention to
these psychological and spiritual needs of the human being, on which the
"quality of life" of those reaching such a stage decisively depends.
This can offer a "humane" solution to the elderly who do not have a
family of their own to rely on or who are not able to manage their own affairs,
or who, in any event, freely wish to avail themselves of such facilities, regarding
them as suitable for their situation.
It must be forcefully asserted,
however, that this is not the ideal
solution. The objective we must be oriented towards is that the elderly be
able to remain at home, relying, if need be, on adequate forms of home care. In
this regard, public involvement can march side by side with volunteer action, through the
contribution of initiatives inspired by the teachings of the Catholic Church,
along with those of other religious and humanitarian movements deserving of
respect and gratitude.
5.For the implementation of such an
orientation, not only of a technical nature, but social and moral as well, it
is necessary to refer to certain
fundamental values - like the sacredness of human life, the dignity of the
person, the intangibility of his freedom - which are inscribed upon the
conscience of each individual and constitute to basis for every authentic
civilization. In the case of the elderly, moreover, our thought must move to
the debt of gratitude society owes them for all they have done for the common
good during their active years.
These values acquire a special
wealth of content in the light of biblical revelation, which presents the human
being as made in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gn
1:26) and recommends, "Son, assist your father in his old age; do not
sadden him while he lives. Even if he loses his judgment, show him compassion …
for kindness to a father will not be forgotten" (Si
3:12-14).
6.In recent years science has made
substantial progress in the field of treatment for pathologies of advanced age.
On the basis of current expertise, it is today possible to prevent or at least
to delay the appearance of some of these phenomena by providing for appropriate, well-oriented aging,
wherein external factors as well, such as nutrition, environment, health
education, and hygiene, play a part.
There are, however, other
pathological phenomena in regard to which current available knowledge is still
insufficient to program preventive and curative action. This poses for those
working in this branch of medicine the duty of making a renewed commitment to
acquire more precise knowledge concerning the etiology of such pathologies and
adequate forms of care.
But I cannot fail to call everyone's
attention to the need for common action not to stop at the search for
increasingly sophisticated, costly drugs to the nearly exclusive benefit of the elderly in rich countries. The
effort of developed nations must also turn to those vast areas of the world in
which, in spite of the permanence of admirable family solidarity, endemic
poverty, illness, insufficient means, lack of structures, and psychological
conditioning dramatically shorten the lives of so many brothers and sisters,
rendering longevity an unlikely target. If, in fact, to work for a
qualitatively appreciable longevity is a proper task of science and technology,
en equally important one is to strive so that every man will be ensured a life
parabola leading from birth to natural decline which is neither accelerated nor
compromised by subhuman living conditions. The rich countries, then, must not
forget the less fortunate ones, where, in view of the large populations,
adequate care is guaranteed for only a few. The big pharmaceutical producers,
by way of the humanitarian policies of their respective States, should not
allow these countries to lack those medicines - painfully called "orphan
drugs" - which, no longer needed where well-being is greatest, can prove
decisive in vast areas of the world. We should be grateful to those in this
field who are setting in motion concrete and unselfish initiatives.
7.Ladies and gentlemen, the close
relationship which in the very subject of your Conference you have rightly
established between longevity and quality of life allows one to grasp that
a percentage increase in life expectancy should be regarded as an inadequate
achievement if the quality of existence does not advance at the same rate.
Nevertheless, to pursue this objective effectively it is necessary to involve the whole social body so that it will
bring to maturity a new sensitivity to this problem. Preventive and curative
medicine must by accompanied by broad action providing for institutions and
facilities capable of opening to the elderly the fields of culture, education,
and the most varied activities. The chance to go on pursuing stimulating
interests and conducting useful activities makes the elderly not only feel
alive, but also happy to be so. Each new day of life will then appear to them
in its true light: as a gift of the
always loving providence of God.
In any event, the contribution which
you – scientists, physicians, researchers, scholars – can make to the pursuit
of this objective remains preeminent. I thus turn to you to exhort you to
orient your work, with renewed impetus, towards the safeguarding, defense, and
promotion of man’s entire personality in advanced age, so that the natural
decline in physical energies will not be accompanied by the decay of psychic
and intellectual capacities, which, precisely in the elderly, may reach the
prerogatives of full maturity and wisdom. The Scripture indeed states, “White hairs are a crown of honour; they are found in the ways of uprightness” (Pr
16:31).
To place oneself at the service of
the elderly means to become meritorious as regards the lives of all, for it
means making possible the full expression
of man’s potentialities, which, in being peculiar to each age of life,
thoroughly enrich each for the good of all. Here lies the greatness of your
work, Ladies and Gentlemen, its nobility and irreplaceableness.
May it contribute further to fulfilling the words of the Psalm: “In old age
they will still bear fruit, will remain fresh and green, to proclaim Yahweh’s
integrity” (Ps 92:14-15).
With this
wish, I invoke divine assistance for you and your work; as a pledge of it I
wholeheartedly impart my Blessing.