Six + One: Things Modern Church Leaders Should Know About Senior Citizens

1.  A “wall of sound” during congregational singing renders a person with significant hearing loss unable to find the appropriate pitch so he/she can be involved in singing.
2. Things projected on screens sometimes cause problems for those with vision loss. If print is too small, contrast is poor, or videos are of poor quality, seniors, by default, become non-participants.
3. When instrumentalists play loudly, older congregants can’t understand the words of choir numbers.
4. Though aging, seniors still have the awareness to recognize when the time signatures of their favorite hymns are changed so they can be sung at a “snail’s pace.”
5. Negative effects on seniors when standing for long periods of time include aching joints, feeling faint or weak, and swollen feet. 
6. Older congregants feel conspicuous if they are sitting while others stand.

+ 1. Senior church members need assurance that there is no substance to the rumor that our time has come to be set adrift on ice floes.