Technology has increased longevity, but not age awareness, according to a recent study by JoAnn Meyer Burke, assistant professor of social work and anthropology at Saint Mary's College.

Burke recently conducted a study on how the role of Catholic nuns is expanding to include family caregivers. She researched some of the difficulties sisters face and how they deal with them while living in a community of other rapidly aging nuns. The rising number of aging sisters with older families is an issue across the nation.

Burke said that the new generation of young adults today can learn a great deal about caregiving from the older sisters.

"We have a large number of retired sisters," she said. "It poses, at least as I think about it, an interesting position for both older sisters and young women on campus to lean about how we're going to live longer."

The median age for sisters is more than 65 — much older than it was 30 years ago. Very few sisters are younger than 50 and the average age of caregivers is 41 to 77. Burke interviewed 46 Catholic sisters from 11 non-cloistered religious institutes for her research.

Burke came up with three major conclusions of why sisters might struggle with caregiving. Her first was "the dominant role of Catholic sisters has expanded to include family caregiving."

Prior to the reforms of the Catholic Church in the 1950s, nuns were restricted from seeing and keeping in contact with family members.

"The most amazing thing about this is that they were prohibited from seeing their families at all [at one time]," Burke said. "However, it has been incorporated into their role as a sister."

The nuns have expanded their role to include family caregiving. According to Burke, siblings of sisters may have felt it was their duty, as they were not trying to raise a family or had no martial roles.

Burke's second conclusion was that "Catholic sisters lack adequate preparation for the assumption of family caregiving responsibilities."

Many of the sisters joined their religious communities at such an early age that they never had to support themselves financially. Burke said that Catholic communities still take responsibility for most of the fiscal, legal and property management of the nun's lives.

Burke's final point was that "Catholic sisters lack adequate resources for family caregiving."

Some sisters are allowed the opportunity to live with their aging parents while still working on their mission, but for many that is not possible. Caregivers who had to commute to take care of parents, without transportation, experienced much stress. In many Catholic institutes, caring for their own frail, elderly members takes primary consideration, but Burke said that it is hard for many communities to meet the demands of so many elders.

Sister Margie Jones, a member of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, brought her mother to come live with her for six years. At the time Jones was 64 and her mother 89.

Young people need to realize the extent of ageism and how longevity is increasing, said Jones.

"It's as oppressive as racism, classism and sexism," Burke said. "By the time you are 30, you are going to encounter ageism."

Burke feels society is too focused on age. Women, especially, have a tendency to feel the psychological effects of growing older.

"The more we can interact between generations, the more understanding we'll have of the elderly," Burke said. "I think for a liberal educated woman coming out of Saint Mary's College, we need to think about [dealing with elderly and extended life spans]— how is every aspect of our lives going to deal with it?"

Originally, Jones thought about taking a leave of absence and considered going to live with her mother up in Minnesota, but decided against it.

"What would I have done up there?" Jones asked.

Although her mother was still able to drive and get around with little help from others, Jones worried about her.

"She had been living in her apartment on the third floor with no elevator and was having difficulty getting groceries up the stairs," Jones said. "So, I suggested she come to South Bend and live with me."

She said that the community was very generous and understanding in allowing her mother to come live with her. Previously, Jones had been living in the convent, but moved into an apartment when her mother came.

"The community helped provide whatever we needed," Jones said. "They paid half of everything and furnished me with a car. My mom also had social security and some life insurance my dad had left for her."

Jones was able to continue her ministry as a cataloguer in the Saint Mary's College library.

"It took me ten minutes to get to work," she said. "I'd go home and get her and bring her to mass with me in the afternoons, and then we'd have dinner with the other sisters."

Although Sister Jones has a brother, six years younger than her, it was never an option for her mother to go live with him.

"Naturally, he thought it was up to me," Jones said. "When I asked for permission from him, it was readily given."

Jones said she cherished every moment she got to spend with her mom.

"We had a wonderful time together. It was more than a mother-daughter relationship. We were best friends," Sister Jones said.

In 1993, Jones' mother passed away at the age of 95.

"If I have her genes, in the next generation, maybe I'll live to be 125," Jones said.

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