Columnists

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Columnist Bill Herr taught high school mathematics and science for 32 years before serving as a volunteer and then as a staff chaplain at two nursing homes.

By Bill Herr

I always said there are four things that determine who we are and who we are becoming. They are the people we’ve known and loved, the experiences we have had, the suffering we have known, and the spiritual growth that is taking place in us. As chaplain I was always responsible for the last one, helping with worship services, leading Bible studies and visiting with residents and praying for them. 

When a resident died, we would conduct a special memorial service for that person, inviting staff, family members, and residents to attend. I would share about the resident’s life and invite anyone attending the service to share. These services were special and brought closure to those that attended. Our residents became a second family to us and we grieved their loss.

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Columnist Bill Herr taught high school mathematics and science for 32 years before serving as a volunteer and then as a staff chaplain at two nursing homes.

By Bill Herr

This article is written especially for preachers. I’m certain that one responsibility of a pastor is to bring spiritual nourishment to every member of the congregation. Providing this means the pastor is responsible not only to those that attend worship services, but also to church members that are not able to leave their homes due to aging or health issues, and also to members residing in elderly care institutions.

My uncle lived in a nursing home in his later years.  He was a veteran of WWII, a father of four fine kids, a good man who was not given to talking much. I used to visit him on Sunday afternoons and we would watch NFL football games together. He had been shot by a sniper in the Philippines during the war and came home to recover in a Veterans’ hospital. He was given drugs and became addicted to them. Being divorced and not having a home, his brother, my father, invited him to live with us. He helped us farm and became clean from the addiction.  

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Columnist Bill Herr taught high school mathematics and science for 32 years before serving as a volunteer and then as a staff chaplain at two nursing homes. In this series of articles, he writes about his experiences with elderly residents. He does not use the residents’ real names.

By Bill Herr

Early in my time as chaplain I went into the room of a new lady resident.  I did not know that she had dementia.  As soon as she saw me, she began cursing me.  I tried to introduce myself but she continued cursing.  After a few uncomfortable moments, I excused myself and left the room.  

In the following days, I observed that her husband visited her every day.  She would sit up and he would sit beside her and gently massage the back of her neck and shoulders. One day I entered her room and she was crying softly.  I asked her what was the matter and she said, “I miss my husband.” I asked her if I could pray for her. She nodded and I prayed specifically that her husband would soon be there to see her. When I finished I looked at the doorway and there stood her husband. He had just arrived.  

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Columnist Bill Herr taught high school mathematics and science for 32 years before serving as a volunteer and then as a staff chaplain at two nursing homes. In this series of articles, he writes about his experiences with elderly residents. He does not use the residents’ real names.

By Bill Herr

Some of the kindest acts I have ever witnessed occurred when residents in nursing homes did acts of love and kindness toward fellow residents. One example was an exchange between Harry and Jim. Harry was formerly a farmer.  He had several strokes and was paralyzed on the left side. In his wheelchair he was bent over toward that side and his arm dangled lifelessly down, his hand nearly touching the floor. He couldn’t talk, but his eyes were clear and he could focus on you when you looked at him. He came to our meetings but I never was sure if he understood the discussions.  

One summer my wife and I and our kids had just made a field of alfalfa hay. I love the sweet smell of alfalfa hay. I decided to take a leaf of it to the nursing home the next week. Many of the men residents had been raised on farms and I thought the smell of fresh-made hay would stir memories. 

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This is the second installment in a series by Icon columnist Bill Herr, who previously wrote about local sports history.

By Bill Herr
Icon columnist

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Columnist Bill Herr taught high school mathematics and science for 32 years before serving as a volunteer and then as a staff chaplain at two nursing homes. In this series of articles, he writes about his experiences with elderly residents. He does not use the residents’ real names.

By Bill Herr

In this series of articles, most of the experiences I relate involved nursing home residents experiencing some degree of dementia. The purpose is to show others ways to make their visits with such individuals as pleasant as possible.

There are about 15,000 nursing homes and 29,000 assisted living facilities in the United States, housing 2.1 million residents. One third of all Americans who die in a given year spend all or part their last six months in a senior care home. Nearly 80% of nursing home residents receive fewer than one outside visitor per month. Loneliness, hopelessness, loss of dignity and a lack of real purpose in living at an advanced age are among the primary emotional and spiritual issues that residents feel.  

Nursing home residents are blessed when they receive visitors. I met a new resident, John, who was outgoing, friendly and liked to talk.  He had a plaque on the wall of his room that was given to honor him when he retired as fire chief in his local community.

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