The Invisible Individual

Baptistcare’s mission statement is: Reaching out with the love of Jesus we work with individuals, families and communities to achieve their spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing

The three words individual, families and communities are deliberately articulated, because each of them is important in the way we go about the business of caring. Why should we specifically mention individuals? Isn’t it just common sense that we will have a focus on individuals?

I would suggest there are three ways it is possible for us to lose the individual focus:

Fear of the unknown: Just talk to someone who has a disability about what happens when a stranger meets them for the first time. Instead of talking to the person with the disability, it is more common that the person will have their conversation with the carer or family member and the person with the disability becomes invisible.

Dependance on the task: Even the most caring and compassionate person can be distracted from the individual by the demands of the job they are doing. The task of caring, and all that goes with it, can at times become all consuming and the individual becomes strangely invisible.

Self Interest: It has been said that when you are introduced to someone for the first time, the only name you remember is your own. It takes a little work and discipline to hear and remember the name of the person to whom we are introduced. Often we are so focussed on the sound of our own name, that is, our own needs and issues, that the individual in front of us becomes invisible.