Everlasting Place
  • Home
  • One way
    • Proof
  • Sadie Sparrow
    • Sadie Sparrow Excerpt
    • Author Chat
    • Articles
    • Book Reviews
  • Memoir
    • Memoir Excerpts
    • Reviews, interviews & endorsements
  • Blogs
    • Eternal eyes: a blog about forever
    • Golden years: a blog about the elderly
  • Old folks
    • Planting tips for Christians
  • Messages from Chris Carrillo
  • Library
  • Bookstore
  • Contact

The best place to call it a life?

10/11/2014

2 Comments

 
Picture
The results are in, and they’re hardly surprising: If you’re old and want to live “your best life now” without sitting directly under Joel Osteen’s teaching, head for northern Europe. You’ll not only get the biggest package of government benefits, you’ll also be where the action is when it comes to every aspect of living and dying!

This, at any rate, is the conclusion of HelpAge International – a well-funded global coalition of some sort (I kept digging but am still not sure who these people are). According to their 2014 Global AgeWatch, the top 10 places to deteriorate are: 

  1. Norway
  2. Sweden
  3. Switzerland
  4. Canada
  5. Germany
  6. Netherlands
  7. Iceland
  8. United States
  9. Japan
  10. New Zealand
 
To come up with this ranking, HelpAge evaluated each nation's performance according to four standards:
  1. Income security, which includes pension income coverage, poverty rate in old age, relative welfare of older people and GDP per capita
  2. Health status, including life and healthy-life expectancy at 60, plus psychological well-being
  3. Capability, which covers the employment and educational status of older people
  4. Enabling environment, meaning social connections, physical safety, access to public transport, and something called “civic freedom” – not sure I want to know what that means

It’s interesting that HelpAge International doesn’t take into consideration a nation’s dominant spiritual beliefs – specifically, what most people believe happens after death, and what that means for self and loved ones. Is the best yet to come or not? HelpAge apparently finds the question irrelevant.


I beg to differ. After nearly 15 years of hanging out at a nursing home, I can confirm that one’s beliefs about the existence and character of God and His revelations about eternity are critical to one’s contentment – especially as the distractions of carnal life fade. No one enjoys greater peace, optimism and indeed joy than the born-again believer in Jesus Christ.

But perhaps HelpAge makes up for that void with a corollary to the “life sucks and then you die” existentialist thinking that’s so popular in Europe – a corollary that says “at least you don’t have to put up with any more old age than you can stomach.” After all, while euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are still illegal in countries like Norway, it’s probably only a matter of time before HelpAge's winning nation follows the example of its Dutch neighbors. Supporters of these practices claim that a clear majority believes firmly in the “right to a dignified death,” so no doubt their fearless leaders will soon give them their wish. 
2 Comments
darlene link
10/12/2014 10:07:04 pm

I guess I would of been surprised if they added religious beliefs. You and I know how important it is. BUT secular people DON'T

Reply
Kitty Foth-Regner link
10/12/2014 10:30:42 pm

That's true, Darlene -- but I'll bet they would have included it as recently as a decade ago.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Kitty
    Foth-Regner

    I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, a freelance copywriter, a nursing-home volunteer, and the author of books both in-process and published -- including
    Heaven Without Her.

    Archives

    December 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Care to subscribe?

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from Anas Qtiesh, quinn.anya, skippyjon, gagilas, ulrichkarljoho, Schleeo, djpoblete09, 00alexx, NathanPeck, Riccardo Palazzani, MaartenEyskens, jfinnirwin, romana klee, bundesinnung_ha, theglobalpanorama, Street Photography Addict, StockMonkeys.com, Robert Agthe, Genista, Neillwphoto, frankieleon, RamónP, National Eye Institute, Pink Dispatcher, Tony Webster, quinn.anya, Peter23394, anna gutermuth, neovain, Keith Allison, lewisha1990, Phú Thịnh Co, byzantiumbooks, avlxyz, eastmidtown, 593D ESC, simpleinsomnia, mcohen.chromiste, Pictures by Ann, Stampendous, loop_oh, tedeytan, TipsForComputer.Com, ssilberman, pedrosimoes7, forayinto35mm, Never Edit, GlasgowAmateur, weiss_paarz_photos, Borya, The Graphic Details, robynejay, allenthepostman, quinn.anya, u.hopper, fallingwater123, Alyssa L. Miller, Vincent Albanese, homethods, ponyQ, Braiu, CNE CNA C6F, oakenroad, Tim Evanson, medisave, irinaraquel, Steve Ganz, Nieve44/Luz, roscoland2, One Way Stock, Film Star Vintage, ulrichkarljoho, anieto2k, meaduva, Homini:), campbelj45ca, Nicolas Alejandro Street Photography, Hades2k, Alyssa L. Miller, Carlos Ebert, @Tuncay, kms1167, Petful.com, m01229, jonrawlinson, Brian Smithson (Old Geordie), Blogging Dagger, fechi fajardo, SurfaceWarriors, Leah Abernathy, evans.photo, brianna.lehman, mikecogh, Ejuice, christine.gleason, Free Grunge Textures - www.freestock.ca, Derek Bridges, ulrichkarljoho, One Way Stock, Matt Cunnelly, nandadevieast, cathyse97, quinn.anya, faungg's photo, Lars Plougmann, C Jill Reed, johnthoward1961, mcohen.chromiste, hardeep.singh, physiognomist, ulrichkarljoho, 401(K) 2013, Very Quiet, BromfordGroup, garryknight, Official U.S. Navy Imagery, acasasola, mrbillt6, simpleinsomnia, johanSisno, GollyGforce, Jo Jakeman, Mire de rien, Chris Mower, lotopspin, Marlene Rybka Visualizing & Photography, RLHyde, jez.atkinson, orionpozo, quinn.anya, global.quiz, Public Places, alubavin, drs2biz, espensorvik, ♔ Georgie R, h.koppdelaney, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, Images_of_Money, ttarasiuk, TheArches