The quality of mercy is not strain’d, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. [Shakespeare, The Merchant Of Venice] I love these words. They speak to me of the constancy of God’s Love. There is a constancy of God’s Love to which we all have access throughout our lives, a constancy we can choose to express to and with each other on a daily basis. Through my observations I cannot help but wonder: why do we as a society consistently avoid choosing to express this constancy of love in taking care of our elderly and those in Aged Care facilities? Speaking regularly with friends who work in Aged Care facilities I find what they share with me deeply disturbing. Although they work in a number of facilities across Australian states, they consistently speak of the same issues: Carers working under inordinate time pressures and having to rush breathlessly from patient to patient, without time for a genuinely caring verbal interaction. Limited time allocation with each patient in their care so that physical ministrations end up rushed and disregarding of the physical contact taking place. Paperwork being complex and onerous and taking valued time away from ...