God created us without the ability to foresee what will happen in terms of our health in the future. If we did have that kind of foreknowledge, I don’t know whether it would produce more or less anxiety for us. Part of the process for making these kinds of plans involves separating helpful and unhelpful information (there is a lot more of the latter than the former).
BMPC’s Caring Ministries team, including our parish nurse, Carol Cherry, our social worker, Kathryn West, and the director of the Middleton Counseling Center, Kiki McKendrick, and myself, have been putting together a symposium that will have plenty of helpful information to guide members and friends in knowing how to be well-prepared for whatever lies ahead. Many of us do have the capacity to think, to explore, and to plan. Some of us have delayed putting together a plan because it is uncomfortable to consider physical and/or mental decline. Whether we have procrastinated or not, part of the difficulty in making such plans lies in the ever-changing nature and costs of healthcare systems.
If this is an area of concern for you or a loved one, I hope you will attend our event, "Exploring Care Planning as Health and Healthcare Options Change." For attendees, the only cost is three hours on Saturday, March 8, from 9 a.m. to noon, in Congregational Hall. We will have excellent and knowledgeable presenters, including a former hospital chaplain, a palliative care social worker, and an eldercare lawyer. You’ll be able to hear expressions of their professional training and experience. You’ll also have opportunities to ask your questions of them in smaller settings. Our presenters will help us realize again that no one size of a continuing care plan fits all, regardless of need and resources. But there are critical aspects of understanding options that can guide each of us toward plans that would work for our situation. We ask that you pre-register so that we can have adequate materials and snacks for everyone. To do that, email
