Alum helps launch resource center on aging
Chris Pepple |
Vandiver knew the need was real. Not only had he and his wife, Faye, faced tough decisions in regards to aging parents, but Vandiver also knew the statistics regarding the aging of America. About one in every eight people, or 12.4 percent of the population, is an older American (age 65 and older). By the year 2030, the number of older Americans will more than double to 71.5 million. A person reaching the age of 65 has an average life expectancy of an additional 18.2 years. About 416,000 grandparents have the primary responsibility of raising their grandchildren. The number of Americans over 85 years of age is projected to be 9.6 million by 2030. Facing numbers like these, congregations must answer the call to address issues related to aging. “Families dealing with aging issues often don’t have adequate resources to deal with the situations they face and often don’t know how to access the resources that are available,” Vandiver states.
Vandiver comes to the Resource Center on Aging well prepared to address these issues and grow the center into a vital resource for the congregation and the community. He graduated in 1958 from Lipscomb University with a major in speech and a minor in political science. He worked towards his master’s degree at Vanderbilt. He served in full-time local ministry in the Middle Tennessee area for 40 years, including serving as the pulpit minister at Harpeth Hills Church of Christ. “I left local ministry and for seven years was involved with healthcare,” Vandiver adds. “For four of those years, I served as Director of Community Relations for LifeTrust America, a senior services company involved in assisted living communities throughout the southeast.” While at LifeTrust, Vandiver was responsible for creating and advancing community partnerships among healthcare, religious, social and civic organizations on both local and national levels. Vandiver also served as the president of Tennessee Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. He was appointed by the Speaker of Tennessee’s House of Representatives to serve on Tennessee’s Long-Term Care Advisory Council. He also served on the Patient Safety Advisory Board for the state.
Vandiver doesn’t rely only on his own experiences to grow this center, however. He has assembled an advisory group comprised of ten professionals from various fields related to addressing the needs of older Americans. The advisory group members include Tonya Zuckerman (founder and president of Senior Pathways), Sarah White (director of education at Inspiris), Bruce White (professor and director of the Healthcare Ethics and Law Institute at Samford University), Stacia Vetter (assistant vice president and LTC insurance specialist with National Healthcare Corporation), James Vaillancourt (senior consultant and former executive director of the Center for Non-Profit Management), Suzanne Rueb (director of Center for Healthy Living at Centennial Medical Center), Janet Jones (president and CEO for Alive Hospice), Barbara Helm with the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky), Mary Harkleroad (psychiatric consultant with the Geriatric evaluation and Family Services Clinic) and Richard Gentzler (with the Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries with the General Board of Discipleship for the United Methodist Church).
With the combined education and experiences of all of the people involved, the Resource Center on Aging began operating with the vision to value people in every stage of life. The mission of the center is to provide collaborative faith-based services that meet the health and wellness needs of the whole person. The center will be developed into a valuable source of information, education and caring. The center will facilitate research on aging issues and offer family counseling sessions as well as host educational workshops and referral activities. Social events will be planned throughout the year and intergenerational activities will be planned for the congregation and the community.
“We wanted to design something that meets the real, current needs of the aging population,” Vandiver states. “We are very holistic in our approach to aging issues. We deal with the whole person and address the spiritual, physical, intellectual, social and emotional needs of those we serve.”
Vandiver adds, however, that the center does not strive to compete with existing agencies that also address the issues of aging. “This is a collaborative effort. We want to join with other community entities that can work in partnership with us such as Lipscomb University, Centennial Hospital, hospice care agencies and service-oriented companies. We all bring a valuable piece to the table.” The center will be collaborating with Lipscomb University to offer programs through Lipscomb’s Center for Spiritual renewal and the Lifelong Learning Program.
Dr. Jane Thibault once wrote, “Rarely do we talk of the need to continue growing throughout the lifespan. Because we spend so much time worrying about the decline of the body, we can overlook the need and opportunity to grow in other areas, particularly in wisdom and grace.” The Resource Center on Aging provides a place to not only address the physical needs of older Americans, but also to make sure emotional and spiritual issues are being addressed as well. James Vandiver remains committed to helping the center live up to its mission of meeting the needs of the whole person.
--Chris Pepple