God Cares for the Elderly – Jehovah's Witnesses Official Web Site
Love in Action
Among Jehovah’s Witnesses, congregation elders take the lead in showing regard for the elderly. They take seriously the apostle Peter’s admonition: “Shepherd the flock of God in your care.” (1 Peter 5:2) Caring for the elderly in practical ways is part of taking care of God’s flock. What, though, might this involve?
It takes patience and possibly a number of visits and chats to ascertain the full extent of the needs of an elderly person. Perhaps assistance is needed with shopping and cleaning, with transportation to Christian meetings, with reading the Bible and Christian publications, and with a host of other things. Wherever possible, practical and reliable arrangements should be worked out and implemented.%
What, though, if an older brother or sister in the congregation is in dire straits, perhaps needing financial assistance? First, it would be good to find out if there are children or other relatives who can help. This would be in line with what is stated at 1 Timothy 5:4: “If any widow has children or grandchildren, let these learn first to practice godly devotion in their own household and to keep paying a due compensation to their parents and grandparents, for this is acceptable in God’s sight.”
It may be that the elderly one needs assistance in determining if he or she is eligible for any provisions that the government makes available. Perhaps some in the congregation would be able to help. If none of these avenues are open, the elders could determine if the individual qualifies for assistance from the congregation. In some cases, this was permitted in the first-century congregation, for the apostle Paul wrote to his coworker Timothy: “Let a widow be put on the list who has become not less than sixty years old, a wife of one husband, having a witness borne to her for fine works, if she reared children, if she entertained strangers, if she washed the feet of holy ones, if she relieved those in tribulation, if she diligently followed every good work.”—1 Timothy 5:9, 10.
% For further consideration, see the article “Meeting the Needs of Our Older Ones—A Christian Challenge,” in the July 15, 1988, issue of The Watchtower.