Biblical Tips to Help Your Elderly Parents With Healthy Aging

How many of us can confidently say that we know we are doing our best to help our elderly parents with healthy aging? How many of us as Christians are helping our elders fully according to the statutes of God’s Word?

Bible passages about aging

Let your father and mother be glad; let her, who bore you, rejoice. – Proverbs 23:25, ESV

To answer these questions, we need to have candid discussions within our families about what healthy aging should entail. Whenever discussing our aging parents with friends, we tend to focus on their physical and nutritional needs and how we are involved in helping them with that.

While it’s great to help them maintain their physical well-being, most of us can forget to consider the spiritual needs of the elderly, which are also essential for any healthy aging person. This article will highlight how we can strike that crucial balance between caring for our seniors’ physical and spiritual needs to allow healthy aging of the whole person.

The Spiritual Comfort of Being Together

The Bible is a treasure trove of wisdom regarding how God wants us to view, treat, and help the older members of our community, especially our own parents.

He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him. – Ruth 4:15, ESV

The inspiring verse was written as a promise of restoration, comfort, and joy to Naomi, who lost so much upon the death of her husband and two sons, through the birth of her grandchild, Ruth’s son.

The truth we can learn here is that our presence in the lives of elderly parents or grandparents is a source of great comfort, joy, and nourishment for them. Think about how much loss and grief most elderly people have had to endure, watching almost everyone from their generation and loved ones pass on before them.

Considering the weight of the pain, hurt, and betrayals they have had to survive over the decades, the presence of children and grandchildren can be a salve that soothes their hearts.

The importance of the local church

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world. – James 1:27, ESV

If an elderly parent is unable to physically attend church, why not bring the church to them? In part, this may include setting up a home device where our parents can watch the live stream of services or activities at their local church.

We can also contact their church family and ask for members of the church and the pastor to consider visiting our parents to encourage them and support them as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Regular Bible study and prayer

My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. – Proverbs 6:20, ESV

Most Christian parents probably strived their whole lives to raise us up in the way of the Lord, so imagine how fulfilling it would be if their own offspring held regular prayer and Bible study sessions with them. They will find peace knowing their life’s work as a parent who raised a godly child was a success.

Encourage your aging parent to participate in Bible study groups, physically or online, which can create community bonding and spiritual fulfillment. Staying connected to that spiritual sister or brother will help them maintain mental peace and spiritual connections.

The spiritual encouragement of enjoying God’s creation

They will still yield fruit at an advanced age. They will be full of sap and very green. – Psalm 92:14, NASB

As people get older, they physically slow down, which makes them start to notice and appreciate the beauty of the environment around them. Helping elderly parents connect with the physical and spiritual aspects of nature can be refreshing while also keeping them active.

The body is important

Now let’s see what the word of God has to say about the physical and nutritional parts of the human body to promote healthy aging.

For you were bought at a price. So glorify God in your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:20, ESV

As people get older, nutritional and medical factors have a bigger impact on their lives, so it is important to prioritize this to help them live healthier, longer, and more comfortably in the twilight of their lives, keeping healthy as they age.

It is not easy to accept that our once-able-bodied authority figures who took care of us all our lives may not be as strong as they used to be. As much as we love for them to stay nimble and agile throughout their lives, advanced age naturally brings challenges for every elderly person.

When the season for getting older comes, it can be challenging for the whole family. It may be necessary to consider elderly care professionals trained to serve the senior population to ensure that our parents have all they need for healthy aging.

Nutritional and medical tips to help your parents age healthily

• Get them to exercise regularly and try to incorporate light-weight training, aerobics, or balance activities like yoga and Pilates.
• Help them create a healthy diet plan that limits packaged or processed foods and prioritizes plant-based foods, healthy fats, and lean protein.
• Ensure that they maintain the recommended weight for their height and build.
• Facilitate regular medical checkups.
• Be attentive, and watch out for any physical limitations, such as problems with balance or difficulty walking. Get them medical treatment before the issues become severe.

Getting outside help

Many Christian care homes will already be stocked with a wide range of devotional resources, such as Bible study guides designed to provide uplifting spiritual content for the elderly residing in their nursing homes.

They will be equipped with resources known to bring comfort, encouragement, and a sense of spiritual nourishment to elderly people in a community environment suitable for their needs.

Through engaging in devotional and prayer sessions with relevant materials and Bible study discussions, elderly nursing home residents can find strength, solace, and joy in the promises of God.

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. – Timothy 5:8, ESV

We have a crucial role to play in caring for our elderly parents, which can also bring growth and maturity to your own soul as you walk with them in the later years of their time here on earth.

Healthy aging requires a balance between all those physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of our parents’ lives. If you need help creating a safe, peaceful, and conducive environment for healthy aging for your elderly parents, a Christian therapist is a great place to start.

It is normal to feel unsure about how to handle the care of someone older whom you have looked up to all your life. Making decisions for them, figuring out their needs, and understanding all the options doesn’t need to overwhelm you. Many professional counselors are trained in how to approach all-around care for the elderly.

To meet with a Christian counselor, browse the directory on this site. We have resources to help your parents live out their final years as their best years. Contact us today for more information.