I found something useful the Witnesses do for society.

by adjusted knowledge 12 Replies latest jw friends

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  adjusted knowledge

  I'm currently working at a rehab facility. It also has assisted living, long term care, and hospice. The facility allows churches to sign up for planned activities. The witnesses hold a service once a week at the long term care facility. These patients are mostly dementia, and will never leave the facility with exceptions for doctor visits. They also will not remember any discussions for the most part. In addition protections are in place to safeguard their finances from the witnesses or other exploiters.

  A good portion of these patients are very old with no visiting friends or relatives. There usually is a 1:8 ratio of nursing aide to patient. These are patients that are total care, they can't even feed themselves. So basically the witnesses provide a little bit of companionship for these patients, and in return the witnesses can log field service hours and I guess a shit load of bible studies.
  
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  Pubsinger

  Sounds like the average audience for a public talk 😂
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  punkofnice

  Well, good for them. My only reservation is that the JWs don't do it out of genuine love for the aged...they do it as part of their agenda to buy salvation. But I see where you're coming from.
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  Magnum

  I agree with punkofnice. It's easy time for JWs. Captive audience that can't challenge or question.
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  SafeAtHome

  Yes, would any of them volunteer there without the JW agenda and counting time? Just go in and read to someone a nonJW book or participate in an activity? Probably not. When my dad, a long time elder, was in the last months of his life in a nursing home, he got lots of visitors on Wednesdays, the traditional mid week service days. They would come in their "goin' out in service clothes", spend a half hour, read a scripture and leave, no doubt adding an easy hour to their time slip.
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  tiki

  it's all about those silly little slips of paper they turn in every month...........I never could quite grasp why that carried so much importance. like scorecards you are keeping but there's never any prize for the bestest and the mostest....except the adoration some fools give to it.
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  dubstepped

  Seeing as how I'm not about to go do what they're doing, I can't really knock them for it. It is easy to point to their need for time, or maybe it just makes them feel good. Even the most generous volunteer usually has some selfish motive, something in it for themselves, so in this instance I actually think it is nice. They could easily be going door to door and pretend to knock while chatting up their service partner and instead they're actually making an effort to provide entertainment for some people that probably need it. I say good for them. Even if it pads numbers like Bible studies or whatever, they could be driving aimlessly or dropping off laundry to pad numbers, and this actually does do something for other people.
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  Jonathan Drake

  I disagree with this being a good thing. They are using the infirm and the dying to their own selfish means of appearing to be "zealous for fine works." There is nothing good about it.
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  Bangalore

  They are indeed doing useful things for the society.The Watchtower Society that is.

  Bangalore
  
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  rip van winkle

  How is it positive? For patients with demensia? Patients without families? JWs rarely do things without wanting something in return. (Even if it's to count time!!) Giving a sermon doesn't provide companionship at all.

  Sing songs. Play games. Hold someone's hand. Help to feed them. Bring paper and crayons and color with them or for them. Engage them. Talking AT people is not loving.