Training Clergy to Help the Elderly and Their Families

A training program using a workshop format was developed and presented to 49 clergymen from three communities in southwestern Virginia. The multiple goals of the program were: to increase knowledge of concerns elderly people have and to provide skills necessary for assisting the aged in utilization of resources available through community, regional and state agencies designed primarily for providing aid to the aged. Data from these workshops revealed that most clergy perceived these workshops as helpful, insightful and useful, and that this was already being translated into benefits for their elderly parishioners and their families. Insight gained from this pilot program suggest more training programs of this type would be of both value and interest to clergy.