Behind the doors of nursing homes and retirement communities are men and women with stories, memories and a deep need to know that they have not been forgotten. On this edition of Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, Dr. Dobson shares a moving conversation with the late Missy Tate, whose ministry brought music, companionship and the love of Jesus Christ to seniors living in nursing homes across the country. Missy explains why she viewed nursing-home ministry not as depressing work, but as a joyous opportunity to serve people in the final chapters of life. She recalls Irma, an 87-year-old resident whose bitterness and anger were transformed after hearing the Gospel and placing her faith in Christ. For Missy, that encounter helped inspire a ministry devoted to sharing Jesus with seniors. The conversation also confronts the profound loneliness and isolation many elderly people experience. Dr. Dobson and Missy discuss residents who spend their days following the same routines while waiting for a visit, a conversation, a touch or simply some evidence that someone still cares. Missy offers practical encouragement for Christians who want to help. You don’t necessarily need a relative in a nursing home. Contact a local facility, ask how you can serve and consider visiting during the ordinary weeks of winter or summer when residents may receive far less attention than they do around major holidays. One especially powerful story involves Audrey, an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s disease who had largely lost the ability to walk, speak and communicate. Yet when Missy invited her to sing a familiar Christian hymn, Audrey unexpectedly began singing beautifully with her. Dr. Dobson recalls a similar experience with his own mother as Parkinson’s disease progressed — a reminder of how deeply music, memory, faith and human connection can remain within a person. The larger message is one of human dignity. A person’s worth does not disappear because he or she is elderly, disabled, dependent upon others or no longer considered productive by society. Every person remains precious before God. Dr. Dobson closes the conversation by pointing to Matthew 25:34-40, where Jesus identifies acts of compassion toward those in need as service rendered to Him. Caring for the forgotten, visiting the lonely and sharing the hope of Christ are not insignificant acts — they are opportunities to demonstrate the love of Jesus in a deeply personal way. Key Scripture: Matthew 25:34-40. Learn more about Dr.…
