At its heart is the model of promoting the spiritual welfare of older people, called Anna Chaplaincy, which has been developing since 2010.
The Gift of Years’ vision is for Anna Chaplaincy to be a pioneering, targeted, ministry among people in their later years, right across the UK.
Anna Chaplains seek to accompany older people at a challenging stage of their life. It is an ecumenical, community-based, chaplaincy which is already working in parts of Hampshire and Lancashire. But inquiries are coming in from other parts of the country as far apart as Newcastle, Rugby, Lincolnshire and Kent.
Anna Chaplaincy is person-centred, non-judgmental ministry, for people of strong, little or no faith at all. It is a proven way of supporting people in later life in residential homes and in their own homes, as well as through community groups. Chaplains extend support to relatives and carers.
For individuals, such a spiritual focus on care may express itself in helping older people to reflect on their life’s journey and, where appropriate, enable the healing of memories, and the celebration of life-experiences, so as to foster hope and resilience. An Anna Chaplain also has a wider role within the community as an advocate, and a champion of the contribution older people make to society. Such a chaplain enables cross-generational encounters in the church and wider community. It complements and runs alongside, rather than replicating or replacing, ministry already being done by churches. The name was chosen for its echoes of Anna, the widow and faithful older person who, together with Simeon, recognised the baby Jesus as the Messiah and the fulfilment of God’s promises. It reinforces the fact that much of the work is with those who have suffered loss and bereavement. It is hope-filled ministry which highlights the tradition of older people having prophetic voices; recognising that many older people have wisdom to impart to younger generations and life lessons to share when it comes to spiritual formation.
Anna Chaplaincy to Older People began in Alton, Hampshire, pioneered by the first Anna Chaplain, the former broadcaster and Licensed Lay Minister Debbie Thrower. Debbie now works for BRF as Team Leader of The Gift of Years, and remains a part-time Anna Chaplain in Alton. There is a growing ‘network’ of such chaplains and others responsible for ministry among older people in different parts of the country, with members in the Brecon Beacons, Birmingham, Bristol, Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth.
The Gift of Years is using a Reflective Evaluation Tool to assess impact and effectiveness. Devised by Dr Harriet Mowat, of Mowat Research, it deepens the reflective practice of chaplains who, to recap, are engaged in offering spiritual support to individuals and in the wider community (particularly those living independently who maybe isolated) while also celebrating the blessings of long life and the contributions made by many in their older age. www.thegiftofyears.org.uk