“When you find yourself aging, you can find yourself in a place that you didn’t imagine you’d ever be in, such as skilled nursing, assisted living, or even entering into hospice. Those situations bring up many different questions that often intersect with our faith. And so, it’s in those moments that part of a chaplain’s role is to help our residents,” explains Chaplain Trent Lott.
Lott is a chaplain at The Stayton at Museum Way by Buckner in Fort Worth, Texas. The senior living community offers a continuum of care that includes independent living, assisted living, memory care, long-term care and rehabilitation.
What makes The Stayton, as well as all Buckner senior living communities, unique is that each of them has a full-time chaplain on site with the goal of ensuring residents have spiritual guidance to navigate life’s changes, comfort during loss, support during challenges, and celebrations at times of joy.
Chaplains may visit one-on-one with individuals as well as lead worship services, prayer groups, guide Bible studies and form support groups. They coordinate with clergy and community volunteers for pastoral care when needed within a specific denomination or faith. Buckner chaplains may provide spiritual support and guidance for residents as well as residents’ families, and staff.
“Part of a chaplain’s role is to help people connect with their faith, even people that may not have a faith. Faith impacts us all throughout our life. It impacts the decisions that we make. It impacts the relationships that we have. And it ultimately impacts how we see our life, how we see the legacy that we leave,” Lott says.
Walking alongside
Having a non-denominational chaplain within each senior community is one of the ways Buckner delivers on its faith-based mission of service for seniors. Buckner serves people of diverse backgrounds, but Buckner’s faith-based foundation is what drives the mission to serve and care for others, regardless of that individual’s background and faith.
“A chaplain is someone who enters a community and walks alongside people of all different traditions, of different faiths and of different theologies. It’s not my job to tell someone that what they believe is right or wrong. It’s just my job to walk alongside them,” Lott says.
At a senior living community, like The Stayton, residents and staff alike come from different backgrounds, cultures, traditions and denominations. Regardless of those differences, the chaplain helps them connect with their faith.
“In fact, one of my favorite things to do is to sit beside our residents of various faith traditions and let them see that even though we may have different faith traditions, part of a chaplain’s job is to learn about them and walk alongside them in their faith. And that’s an honor.”
Ministry among seniors
Pastoral care supports individuals’ spiritual enrichment, one of the key dimensions of wellness, helping to create holistic care and support for seniors at Buckner communities. Just as social engagement, educational opportunities, nutrition and fitness and wellness, help create an enriching life, pastoral care is a piece of holistic living.
“Pastoral care through chaplaincy is essential at the sunset of life when seniors are experiencing losses and need spiritual support to navigate the changes at this point in their lives. Our chaplains are trained to understand loss and grief to the degree that they can be the presence of Christ for every resident,” says Albert L. Reyes, CEO of Buckner International.
In fact, the role of the chaplains is rooted in Buckner’s origin and mission.
“The vision for ministry among seniors came from the heart of a pastor. His name was Dr. Robert Cooke Buckner. He was a pastor in his early twenties and served in that role until his passing. He understood the meaning and impact of pastoral care. Our chaplain ministry underscores the vision of our founding pastor as he cared for senior adults at the beginning of Buckner ministry,” explains Reyes.
“Chaplaincy at Buckner is at the heart of our mission which is to follow the example of Jesus by serving seniors. Jesus was and is the Good Shepherd, who cares for his sheep. Buckner chaplains focus their energies on caring for the welfare of those they serve in their communities and their families.”
Leaning on each other
As a chaplain, Lott says it’s the relationship he builds with the senior residents that’s most important.
“Some of our residents, don’t have family or their families are not able to come and visit them. And so, the relationships that we’re able to build with each other here, and the relationships I’m able to build with our residents, is really very familial,” he explains.
“Every person who lives here at The Stayton has lived a life full of stories. They have done the most incredible things with their life. They let me in on those stories and I learn something new every single day that I’m here.”
Lott tells the story of a resident who let him know that she had been diagnosed with dementia and her concern was that she would forget her faith.
“Our faith is the most important thing in our life. And she said, I’m afraid I’ll forget it,” he says. “And I said to her, I’ll remind you of your faith every single day. And the fact that she knows that there’s someone here that’s going to be consistent, that’s going to be here every single day, brings her so much relief in knowing that when that day comes, if she forgets about her faith, if she forgets about the most important thing in her life, someone will look at her and say, Jesus loves you.”
With the many ups and downs and changes of life, Lott says he often refers to Psalm 55:22 for the comfort of others as well as himself.
“The Lord says, cast your cares on me, for I will sustain you. And what I’m reminded of in that verse is that the Lord is not just talking about our cares, he’s talking about our discouragements. He’s talking about our concerns, the things that bring us anxiety, the things that cause us to pause in our day and to fear and to worry,” Lott said. “The Lord did not intend for us to carry our burdens alone.”
About The Stayton at Museum Way
You don’t want to pick just any community to live in. Choosing the right community is key. Residents at The Stayton at Museum Way by Buckner, Fort Worth’s only Life Care Community, have found a sense of connection, fulfillment, and enrichment living here, but don’t just take our word for it. Listen to their testimonials, join an upcoming event, or contact us today to see what living at The Stayton could be like for you.