Christian Homes, Safe Haven Hospice host Chinese guests

[May 15, 2015]  Aware of the challenges facing an aging population in their country, civic leaders from China met with representatives of Safe Haven Hospice and Christian Homes, Inc. last week to learn about the care of older adults and the terminally ill.

The Chinese visitors came to Lincoln to become more familiar with how to establish hospice and residential care for seniors in their homeland. The visit was a follow-up to a trip last November to Hong Kong and Mainland China by officials of Safe Haven and Christian Homes.

The local team of five people traveled from Lincoln to Hong Kong and Mainland China to offer encouragement and consultation to leaders in a variety of groups and settings. At a conference attended by 1,000 people in Hong Kong, the Safe Haven Hospice/Christian Homes team was invited to conduct workshops.

In their workshop, Dr. Paul Boatman and Greg Patterson of Safe Haven Hospice explained hospice basics and how a faith-based hospice works. Jeff Hills of Christian Homes described the development of Christian Homes from its beginnings with one nursing home in Lincoln in 1965 to a chain of 13 senior living communities throughout the Midwest today. During the conference, numerous formal meetings and “sidewalk conversations” addressed the question, “How can we develop such services in China?”

The Safe Haven Hospice/Christian Homes Team toured Inland China, meeting with business leaders, social service agency personnel and religious leaders, as well as touring major cultural sites in five major cities.

In Lincoln, the Chinese visitors observed hospice visits by the Safe Haven Hospice staff and toured Christian Homes facilities. One Chinese visitor referred to “60 million senior orphans” in his country. The resilient Chinese people see this as an
opportunity to dramatically improve the quality of life for older adults in their homeland.

The Chinese visitors and the Lincoln ministries are in dialogue, focusing on applying Christian principles of service in various settings.

“The partnership for serving aging populations is beneficial on both sides of the Pacific.,” Hills noted.

[Jan Schumacher, Christian Homes/Safe Haven Hospice]