'Spirituality and aging' is new focus

from Conrad Grebel University College

"People over the age of 80 represent the most rapidly growing segment of the population," says Marianne Mellinger. As the supervisor of the Ministry Option in the Master of Theological Studies program at Grebel, Mellinger did a feasibility study to explore the development of Spiritual Care for Seniors as a new program area with the Research Institute on Aging, a research institute recently formed as a partnership between RJB Schlegel Holdings and UW. In addition to spiritual care, there are six other areas in RIA related to seniors' care.

Spirituality and Aging's twofold purpose is to promote research that will enhance the well-being of older adults, and to be a resource to students, clergy, chaplains, and caregivers through classes, public lectures, and workshops. According to Mellinger, "spirituality and aging seems to be an underdeveloped area of focus in the academic community. In addition, faith communities are signaling that this is an area needing increased attention. While many organizations recognize the value of spirituality in the aging process, few are giving it primary attention."

This initiative was made possible through the leadership of Ron and Barb Schlegel and Oakwood Retirement Communities, which operates eight seniors care complexes in Ontario that are co-owned by the Schlegels. Ron noted that the connection to Grebel represents this area coming full circle. "In our first nursing home facility in London almost 40 years ago, the chaplain was one of our first staff positions and Ralph Lebold, who went on to serve as president at Conrad Grebel, filled this role." Schlegel is very concerned that the spiritual component of seniors is adequately understood and resourced, not only in long-term care facilities, but in congregations and communities.

Mellinger spent the last year talking with chaplains and residents in long-term care facilities and their families, teaching undergraduate and graduate students, and educating pastors and lay leaders who visit residents in long-term care facilities. These experiences have convinced her that "a division in Spirituality and Aging with a focus on research and education could make a significant and immediate contribution in the lives of residents, in faith communities, and in the longer term, in the education of chaplains, students and caregivers."

During the fall term, Mellinger taught "Aging and the Spiritual Life", a combined undergraduate and graduate course that included a practicum and attracted students from 22 to 66 years of age. Discussions were rich and lively as students engaged across cultures, generations, and faith perspectives. This is one early example of the kind of educational experiences that Mellinger hopes to develop.

The Spiritual Care for Seniors program sponsored an evening workshop, led by Mellinger, for thirty pastoral care visitors at Calvin Presbyterian Church in Kitchener. The program also sponsored a public lecture by Ellen Bouchard Ryan, professor of psychiatry and gerontology at McMaster University, in November. The focus of this lecture was "Spiritual Care for Persons with Dementia." Bouchard Ryan spoke on how spiritual care is grounded in the concept of "personhood" which moves away from viewing dementia as a biomedical problem and toward focusing on the person as someone of value and worth. Rather than focusing on the losses of the person, personhood works to enhance their remaining capabilities. Nearly 100 people attended the lecture, which Mellinger says is a clear sign that there is a need in the community for more education on seniors and spirituality.

Grebel and the RIA hope to meet this need by establishing an ongoing Spirituality and Aging program of long-term research, academic courses, community education, and professional development. A certificate program in Spiritual Care is under consideration.

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Endowment honours retired prof

from UW's 2005-06 donor report

Dr. Ashok Kapur, a faculty member at UW for 35 years until he retired in July 2006, was recently honoured with an endowed scholarship in his name. During his career he wrote eight books about India, South Asia, and nuclear weapons in the region. In his role as chair of the Department of Political Science (1999-2005), Kapur became increasingly involved with and passionate about recruiting top students to UW.

One of those students, Andrea Sparrey (BA 1999), respected her political science professor so much that she organized fellow alumni into setting up the endowed scholarship in his name. Sparrey also enjoys a personal connection to her former professor. After leaving UW, she met Amit Kapur, Dr. Kapur’s eldest son, through mutual friends. The married couple lives in New Jersey, where Sparrey is working as a case team leader with Bain & Co, a global business consulting firm and Kapur is working as a senior research analyst with Piper Jaffray.

“His biggest gift to students was in teaching them to challenge themselves and to not shy away from hard work, but rather to commit to it and then enjoy its results,” Sparrey says of her former professor. “Over time, students learned to appreciate just how valuable were the challenges that he presented, both as a teacher and as a mentor.”

The $1,500 scholarship will be provided annually to an outstanding first-year Faculty of Arts student and is based partly on financial need. The donation from Sparrey and other former students was matched through the provincial government’s Ontario Trust for Student Support program.

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Teaching, and a Christmas lecture

The UW-ACE instructors' group will have a gathering today with four presentations. It starts at 2 p.m. in the Flex Lab on the third floor of the Dana Porter Library (details and registration are online). One speaker is Katherine Lithgow of the Centre for Learning and Teaching Through Technology, "on behalf of" Pat Wainwright of health studies and gerontology, talking about "Using the Action Editor to release generic feedback to selected students". Then participants will hear about an issue from the school of optometry: "Students are often assessed through multiple-choice midterms and exams, and at the end of their four-year program they engage in extensive multiple-choice testing when they write their Canadian Optometry Board Examinations. Lisa Prokopich and Jane Holbrook have created a task where students review the structure of a good multiple choice question and then write questions that test their own course material. These questions are submitted to the instructor and are assessed for structure, content and feedback. The questions are then used to create an online self-assessment quiz that students who have participated in the activity can use to study for their midterm and final exam. This activity has been integrated into two courses, and feedback has been very positive." Finally, Sandra Campbell of Renison College will speak on "Use of UW-ACE to create a student debate that explores controversial issues".

Dashing through the snow last week was Alan Morgan of UW's earth sciences department. "I was in Calgary yesterday (out in morning, back in afternoon)," he wrote on Friday, "giving the lunchtime Christmas Technical Lecture to the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. This lecture set a new attendance record for CSPG technical luncheons (935 tickets sold). There were at least eight former Waterloo earth science students in the audience." His topic: "The Great Asian Tsunami". Morgan is speaking again tonight, a little closer to home, at the 'rare' charitable reserve on the border of Kitchener and Cambridge. His topic this time: "Global Change — Humanity's Effect on the Planet".

Daylight saving time starts three weeks earlier in 2007 than it's done in the past, and ends a week later. "Unfortunately," writes Bob Hicks of the IST department, "Bookit didn't know about this change. Meetings booked in 2007 between the dates of March 11 and April 1, as well as between October 28 and November 4, should be checked. You may have to
adjust these meetings by one hour in both personal agendas and resources."

This month's bills from the local electrical utility, Waterloo North Hydro, include a flyer drawing attention to the Residential Energy Efficiency Project — presumably printed just before the news that REEP has changed its name to Waterloo Region Green Solutions. Jointly sponsored by UW and the Elora Centre for Environmental Excellence, the agency is going it alone, with a new funding model now that federal grants to support household energy assessments are no longer available. "This milestone allows us to offer a host of new services and benefits," agency director Mary Jane Patterson told the Record newspaper. The change is very new (the agency's web site doesn't mention the name change yet) and I imagine we'll be hearing more about what's available.

A new Robert Kerton Entrance Scholarship in Arts, honouring former dean of arts Bob Kerton, is on the list for approval by UW's senate early in the new year. • Researchers in the Earth Sciences and Chemistry building will have to do without nitrogen on tap tomorrow, as the utility is being shut down for valves to be installed. • Here's a reminder that after tomorrow's flu shot clinic, the health services department will be closed from 11:30 to 2:00.

Finally, it's about the alphabetical dining group sponsored by the UW Recreation Committee, which has seen visits to restaurants starting with A, B, and the rest of the generally accepted alphabet over the past few months. They've finally reached Zeke's Feed and Fuel, on King Street in Kitchener, and will be heading there for ribs on Wednesday night at 5:30. So that's the end of the series? No way, organizers say, pointing out that omega is the true last letter of the alphabet, and accordingly they'll have a night at Kitchener's Omega Restaurant some time in January.

CAR

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