12 Scriptures of Love and Support For Parents and Seniors
Did you know that 1 in 3 Americans is now 50 years of age or older, and many are also taking care of an older parent or relative. Honoring the wisdom of the elders is central to our faith: it’s what the Bible is all about! On westa.org, we take the time to honor our parents, elders, and caregivers with the following list of scriptures and resources.
Exodus 20:12 – Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Psalm 71:18 – Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.
Psalm 92:12-15 – The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13 planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, 15 proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
Proverbs 23:22 – Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
Proverbs 17:6 – Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.
Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 – Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”— 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; 3 when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim; 4 when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when people rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint; 5 when people are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags itself along and desire no longer is stirred. Then people go to their eternal home and mourners go about the streets. 6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the wheel broken at the well, 7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
12 SCRIPTURES FOR PARENTS AND SENIORS – Family love and support are among the keys to healthy living in later life.
Isaiah 46:3-4 –“Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. 4 Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Timothy 5:1-3 – Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. 3 Honor widows who are truly widows.
1 Timothy 5:8 ESV – But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
1 Peter 5:5-6 ESV – Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you
Leviticus 19:32 ESV – You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.
RESOURCES FOR SENIORS AND CAREGIVERS
- THE US DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES’ National Institute on Aging website has valuable information for seniors and caregivers, including how to get your affairs in order. Click here to READ MORE: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/getting-your-affairs-order
- THE AD COUNCIL identifies a select number of significant public issues and stimulates action on those issues through communications programs that make a measurable difference in our society. See their page on caregivers HERE: https://www.adcouncil.org/Our-Campaigns/Family-Community/Caregiver-Assistance-African-American-Market
- AARP CAREGIVER RESOURCES – Caring for a family member or close friend is one of the most important—and complicated—roles you’ll play, and AARP is here to help. For caregiver resources, please CLICK HERE: https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/
- WEST ANGELES CHRISTIAN COUNSELING now offers the Savvy Caregivers Support Group designed for caregivers who support and care for individuals with Alzheimer’s or Dementia. For more information, please contact – PHONE: (323) 737-7463
- IS YOUR COMMUNITY LIVABLE for elders and seniors? AARP has information on some of the latest housing trends for seniors. To learn more, please CLICK HERE: www.aarp.org/livable.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Millions of Americans serve as family caregivers, according to a 2015 study by the National Alliance for Caregiving. About 17% of US adults – or 39.8 million people – were caring for an adult loved one. The typical family caregiver in the study is a 49-year-old woman who is caring for a parent; AARP’s policy research shows that 40% of caregivers are men.
- Among people ages 65 and older, African Americans have the highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (13.8 percent), followed by Hispanics (12.2 percent), and non-Hispanic whites (10.3 percent), American Indian and Alaska Natives (9.1 percent), and Asian and Pacific Islanders (8.4 percent).
- By 2030, one out of every five people in the United State will be 65-plus.
- May is “Older Americans Month,” according to the Administration for Community Living.
FEATURED IMAGE, Courtesy of the Ad Council.
