When Dr Ian Donald first launched ‘Ageing Gracefully’ in 2023, his aim was to help people confront the realities of ageing through both medical understanding and Christian faith.
Drawing on three decades as a geriatric consultant at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, along with theological studies with Cuddesdon and earlier work on his book ‘With a Light Touch’, Ian combined medical insight with biblical reflection to explore what it means to age well – spiritually, emotionally, and practically.
Since then, ‘Ageing Gracefully’ has reached more than 270 people in nine churches across our diocese. Participants face ageing honestly, discover God’s purposes for later life, and find hope in the promise that ‘we may remain fresh and green, still bearing fruit in old age’.
Now, the course is available in a new format designed for house groups, church gatherings or personal study. It includes six professionally filmed 20-minute videos, and a study guide. Each video introduces the topic and key questions for that session, encouraging reflection and conversation within groups.
Ian said: “It’s still the same structure, with the same six sessions. Since the course began, I’ve interpreted which parts of each session are the most helpful, which parts trigger the most conversations, and which parts were less successful. I’ve tried to condense the material to focus on the parts that spark conversation and understanding.”
In each video, Ian is joined by a guest to bring different perspectives and experience to the discussion. His wife Philippa contributes to the session on caring, sharing her own honest reflections on the challenges of supporting her mother. A retired vicar from Churchdown explores the biblical themes of ageing and healing; a palliative care doctor brings insight to the final session on dying well; and the head of the Christian charity ‘Embracing Age’ helps unpack issues surrounding dementia and personhood.
“From the courses so far, I think that the first session is fairly gentle compared to the others, but people find it a bit sobering because we talk about facing up to ageing,” Ian said. “The session on caring seems to strike a chord, especially when my wife, Philippa, shares her personal experiences. She talks very honestly about some of the challenges of caring, and I think that gives people permission to acknowledge their own difficulties, issues or guilt that they may have felt.
“From course feedback sheets, the week that discusses dying and preparing for death, including planning and talking with others about the subject, has the most comments written down. Perhaps the final parts are freshest in people’s minds, but attendees consistently say that learning about talking to others, and talking to your family about death and preparing for dying, matters a lot.”
Support from the Sylvanus Lysons Trust and other local donors enabled the production and made it possible for the course to be offered free of charge. Printed study guides are available at a small cost, and this offers the best way of going deeper into the material. All materials can be accessed through the website.
Feedback from those who have taken part in the course so far is encouraging:
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“The timing was just right for me, as I was beginning to feel uncomfortable about getting older.”
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“The course helps us to share hopes and fears by looking into the theology.”
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“Ian was very easy to listen to, honest and engaging. He spoke with a wealth of experience but did not pretend to have all the answers.”
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“Course has been excellent, well paced, honest, gentle.”
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“Very good and needed in the church.”
For Ian, ‘Ageing Gracefully’ continues to be as much a journey of faith as of teaching.
“I really think that the deepest question I have encountered, and one that I am still trying to discern, is understanding how we make use of the experience of suffering in a godly way. God wants to sanctify us – it’s all by grace – yet sanctification is a really important part of the Christian journey. We encounter suffering most often towards the end of our life, and how we respond to those challenges is the key. Christ is journeying with us through the suffering.
“There are things we may never make sense of – for example, people who surviving for years with advanced dementia – but I do know that we are called to be a caring society. It brings out the best in us to care.”
Through ‘Ageing Gracefully’, people can approach ageing and the end of life with honesty, faith, and a sense of purpose, knowing that even in later years, God continues to work through us.
→ Explore ‘Ageing Gracefully’.
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