Nursing Homes

Caregiver Devotional Give-away

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

With this Covid-19 crisis now dragging on into mid-July the issues for those in Long Term care have changed from being a temporary adjustment to a near permanent situation. Visits through the window, masks and tearful good-byes are what is now accepted as the new normal. These emotional, physical and spiritual challenges on those who are caregivers and staff are equal to or in some cases even greater than on those in need of care.

I wrote Grace For the Road as a devotional first aid kit to encourage and point you to Jesus Christ the healer and caregiver of us all. Drawing on my three decades of service as a volunteer chaplain I have included as many real life stories as I can. This Monday through Friday you can download the e-book format at the low low price of free! You may follow the link below or search for it on Amazon.com under Grace for the Road: Devotions for Caregivers by Peter Caligiuri.

May God bless you and keep you safe in the palm of His hands!

The Lord bless you and keep you;  the Lord make his face shine on you
 and be gracious to you;  the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-25 NIV

Loving Like Jesus

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. e second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”    Romans 12:15

I learned something about weeping and rejoicing after fourteen hours of flying time to Delhi India. I found an airport that looked just like New York (Only better). It was clean, bright and beautiful. But we were on a missions trip and not on a vacation. So though the staff at our hotel was polite and helpful, the room was something you find only in the world of India. Though we had crossed nine time zones it was still hard to sleep but washing with cold water from a bucket in the tub woke us right up in the morning! We quickly dressed and left for the airport to catch our flight to a smaller city. That is where to the amusement of my pastor and the taxi driver I began to experience the whole new world of Delhi traffic with each honk of the horn and lurch to the left or right avoiding pedestrians, bicycles and various animals.

Having a loved one move into a nursing home especially during this Covid-19 crisis, is like watching them travel farther away than even India. Every nation has its own language, laws and culture and just as you would carefully study a travel guide about them before going overseas so also it is important to prepare for the world of a nursing home your loved one is moving to. Their new home will mean losing a measure of the control which they once had. They lose privacy, the ability to travel, familiar surroundings and maybe most difficult of all; the right to say no to many things. Don’t turn a deaf ear to their fretting; instead be ready to rejoice when they rejoice and weep when they weep. You might not know all the answers for them but coming along on their journey is the best way to help them put down roots, make friends and accept for weeping or rejoicing that new world. Sharing their emotions and struggles can help to unlock the door to hope then just do your best to live out what the Apostle Paul added in the next verse:

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Romans 12:16 Now that is loving just like Jesus would have us to do!

Jesus is Right on Time – Video

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

Oh I hate to wait but the numbers here aren’t looking great for things to open up safely to the Nursing Homes any time soon. Please remember to pray for the residents who have now been well cared for but very lonely after 3 1/2 months of isolation. This week’s Hymn session Included His Eye is On the Sparrow (One of my favorites). Little talk with Jesus and When the Roll is called up Yonder. God bless everyone.