How the Offline Elderly can Enjoy Worship in 2022
To be fed. To enjoy the fellowship. To be encouraged. These are common benefits that many of American’s Elderly miss every week.
The COVID pandemic was a wake-up call for the church. Pastors across North America did not realize the digital divide’s impact on their church. Loneliness reigns where 49% of Senior Citizens live without broadband. (1) Hurt has taken a deeper stab with the highest divorce rate ever among Senior Citizens at 14%, not including widows. (2) In addition, this age group will almost double in the next 2 decades. (2) A dry desert on America’s plane.
These precious saints love church but wrestle to faithfully attend due to mobility issues and health risks. In fact, senior citizens, The Silent Generation, gives more than any other generation at an average of $1,367 annually. (3) And play a huge role in representing over 25% of those who attend Mainline Protestant churches.
Where does that leave us who claim to have the passion and vision to reach our world? We are left forsaking the responsible for the 60% (over ½ million) residing in care homes plus those who live by themselves at home that will never be blessed with a visitor’s friendly face. (5)
Dr. Dave Gallagher, in his post, Ministering to Senior Adults, asked, “But did you know that the senior adult population, the 55+ age range, is exploding at three times the national population growth? This means there’s a tremendous opportunity for ministry in this area. But how do we do this well? And how do we connect with the older members of our churches?” (8)
Specifically, let’s take a look at the complications and needs that can be addressed by including your offline elderly church members in your online worship service.
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Loneliness VS. Smoking (9)
Nearly one out of three older Americans now lives alone -- and the health effects are mounting, experts say.
Complications When we Don't Connect with the Senior Citizens
Seniors have fewer visitors. They will not make a fuss about their loneliness because they don’t want to be a burden to anyone. Their isolation leads to depression, resulting in them assuming the worst and robs them of the joys of life. (6)
Simple daily tasks become complicated, and their seclusion leads to significantly higher stress and blood pressure levels. Unpaid family caregivers have little respite and develop their own stress issues that do not mix well in this environment. The tension between them becomes a fertile ground for poor words choices that can spark unforgiving insults. (6) The walls seem to be falling in on them.
These complications will quickly impact their diets and develop unwelcomed health issues that the elderly just accept as their lot in life. (6)
This plague can force our seniors to enter nursing homes sooner than they should. (7)
Amid this darkening world of aging, the hope of being fed spiritual is a bright lite that rejuvenates an encouraging youthful spirit.
But did you know that the senior adult population, the 55+ age range, is exploding at three times the national population growth? This means there's a tremendous opportunity for ministry in this area. But how do we do this well? And how do we connect with the older members of our churches?
Roadblocks to Worship
If the senior citizens of your parish could access worship in a society that has immobilized them from in-person attendance, it would turn their world right-side up.
Churches started streaming their worship services across the Internet to serve this need. They did not realize that their senior members could not access their online broadcast.
Some media directors have given up after trying to drag them into the future by providing equipment and training. Yet, their aged members become impossible by continuing to complain of not being able to access the worship service.
What are the real issues in this digital gap?
The senior members face one or more of these six complications…
- Living on a tight budget and cannot afford to subscribe to an adequate broadband service,
- Lacking basic technical literacy,
- Fearing that they will be fraud or look stupid,
- Finding terms, menus, conditional decisions, and prompts like confirmations, warnings, and errors too much to comprehend.
- Struggling with touch screens due to a condition called leathery fingers. (7)
- Missing daily routines and activities make it easy for them to forget when the church service starts.
Health Risks Impact Our Aged Members (10)
Older adults are at increased risk for loneliness and social isolation because they are more likely to face factors such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and hearing loss.
How to Include the Offline Elderly in Live Worship
David Plappert, the Founder of PhoneLiveStreaming.com, found a creative way to help over 1,000 churches to include the elderly in Sunday morning worship by eliminating technology terminology, access codes, menus, and the mute buttons.
In under 5 minutes, a church can connect their PhoneLiveStreaming account to their video encoder (Boxcast, Resi, Wirecast, Vimeo, OBS, vMix, etc.). The minute your video streaming goes live, it calls everyone on your notification list. Your senior members answer the phone and are welcomed to church with a familiar voice greeting. There are no buttons and hoops to jump through.
If they miss out on your live stream, they can call in later and listen to the last service broadcasted.
This system eliminates them from setting a reminder, learning to log in, clicking on the correct links, and paying for broadband service.
The best part of the PhoneLiveStreaming.com system? The letters and emails from the hopeless and lonely sharing how their lives have been blessed.
Online Audience Builder
How to Include the Offline Elderly in Live Worship
David Plappert, the Founder of PhoneLiveStreaming.com, found a creative way to help over 1,000 churches to include the elderly in Sunday morning worship by eliminating technology terminology, access codes, menus, and the mute buttons.
In under 5 minutes, a church can connect their PhoneLiveStreaming account to their video encoder (Boxcast, Resi, Wirecast, Vimeo, OBS, vMix, etc.). The minute your video streaming goes live, it calls everyone on your notification list. Your senior members answer the phone and are welcomed to church with a familiar voice greeting. There are no buttons and hoops to jump through.
If they miss out on your live stream, they can call in later and listen to the last service broadcasted.
This system eliminates them from setting a reminder, learning to log in, clicking on the correct links, and paying for broadband service.
The best part of the PhoneLiveStreaming.com system? The letters and emails from the hopeless and lonely sharing how their lives have been blessed.
Online Audience Builder
NOTES:
- https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/05/17/technology-use-among-seniors/
- https://www.prb.org/resources/fact-sheet-aging-in-the-united-states/
- https://www.definefinancial.com/blog/charitable-giving-statistics/
- https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/age-distribution/
- https://www.elderlycareministry.com/
- https://www.aplaceformom.com/caregiver-resources/articles/senior-isolation-facts
- https://www.noisolation.com/research/why-do-many-seniors-have-trouble-using-technology
- https://www.careleader.org/care-well-senior-adults/
- https://www.hrsa.gov/enews/past-issues/2019/january-17/loneliness-epidemic
- https://www.cdc.gov/aging/publications/features/lonely-older-adults.html
