Baptistcare’s mission statement says: Reaching out with the love of Jesus we work with individuals, families and communities to achieve their spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing. Over the last few weeks we have discussed what we mean by the love of Jesus, and have explored what it means to be working with individuals and families.
But why on earth is the word “communities” mentioned in Baptistcare’s mission statement?
There are a whole range of communities that link in some way with Baptistcare. Where we have residential aged care services or retirement villages, we are building a community of people who are relating to each other by virtue of the fact they live together in the same location. In regional towns and suburbs, Baptistcare services are a part of the local geographic community and have a part to play in building a community spirit. We find at various times that we contribute to church communities, school communities, and groups of people with different interest groups that often see themselves as a community.
Just as individuals and families can experience seasons when their spiritual, emotional and physical health is not what they would like it to be, so too, communities can experience times of poor health. Please contribute to this blog by using the “comments” button below to express your thoughts about how Baptistcare can positively contribute to the health of the communities that we impact.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
No one is an island
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
I have been doing some ancestry research in recent times and have come to a bit of a roadblock in terms of tracing my dad’s family in Northern Ireland. However, it has been interesting to find out more about my wife’s family and to learn something of their involvement at Vasse (Busselton) soon after this area was first settled. Tracing the family tree certainly confirms the words of John Donne (1572-1631): “No man is an island.”
While Baptistcare has a responsibility to work with individuals, and the funding we receive from different government departments both State and Federal is usually focussed on “the client” and not their family, we have to ask the question, how does Baptistcare effectively incorporate the family members into the way it works with individuals? In many cases the way we support families to cope with the issues that have caused their loved one to receive services from Baptistcare will take up as much time and energy as the individual support.
We have deliberately included families in our mission statement because we believe that no one is an island. I would value your thoughts and contributions about how we can be more effective in supporting families within the overall service of Baptistcare. Please make use of the comments button at the bottom of this blog to share your thoughts.
At the bottom of the blog there is the word “comment”. Click on this and there will be a place where you can put in your comment. Click on the “post comment” button when you are finished and your comment will be there for others to read. The more people who use this method, the more it becomes like a conversation that helps to inform our thoughts about these matters. Please be respectful and thoughtful of others in your comments.
I have been doing some ancestry research in recent times and have come to a bit of a roadblock in terms of tracing my dad’s family in Northern Ireland. However, it has been interesting to find out more about my wife’s family and to learn something of their involvement at Vasse (Busselton) soon after this area was first settled. Tracing the family tree certainly confirms the words of John Donne (1572-1631): “No man is an island.”
While Baptistcare has a responsibility to work with individuals, and the funding we receive from different government departments both State and Federal is usually focussed on “the client” and not their family, we have to ask the question, how does Baptistcare effectively incorporate the family members into the way it works with individuals? In many cases the way we support families to cope with the issues that have caused their loved one to receive services from Baptistcare will take up as much time and energy as the individual support.
We have deliberately included families in our mission statement because we believe that no one is an island. I would value your thoughts and contributions about how we can be more effective in supporting families within the overall service of Baptistcare. Please make use of the comments button at the bottom of this blog to share your thoughts.
At the bottom of the blog there is the word “comment”. Click on this and there will be a place where you can put in your comment. Click on the “post comment” button when you are finished and your comment will be there for others to read. The more people who use this method, the more it becomes like a conversation that helps to inform our thoughts about these matters. Please be respectful and thoughtful of others in your comments.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Jesus - our role model
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 This week and in future blogs let’s look more closely at what we are saying:
As we develop our own way of doing things throughout life we have a tendency to look to people who can model the type of behaviour that resonates with our thinking on life. Not everyone follows a Christian approach to life, but as an organisation with its roots in Christianity it is appropriate to look to Jesus as the model for the way we approach our work. If we put aside issues of religion or belief and simply see Jesus as an historical figure we see someone who modelled a lifestyle that was focussed on the needs of individuals and exhibited love and compassion in a way that had no comparison in its time and has influenced people for centuries since. Jesus stepped across religious, cultural, gender and social barriers to show genuine love and as a result suffered at the hands of the religious hierarchy who were incensed at his refusal to be tied down to their traditions. As someone who accepted people of different faiths in a predominantly Jewish environment, who accepted women in a strongly patriarchal society, and who had a distinct bias towards powerless and excluded people I can’t think of a better role model for our work within Baptistcare.
As we develop our own way of doing things throughout life we have a tendency to look to people who can model the type of behaviour that resonates with our thinking on life. Not everyone follows a Christian approach to life, but as an organisation with its roots in Christianity it is appropriate to look to Jesus as the model for the way we approach our work. If we put aside issues of religion or belief and simply see Jesus as an historical figure we see someone who modelled a lifestyle that was focussed on the needs of individuals and exhibited love and compassion in a way that had no comparison in its time and has influenced people for centuries since. Jesus stepped across religious, cultural, gender and social barriers to show genuine love and as a result suffered at the hands of the religious hierarchy who were incensed at his refusal to be tied down to their traditions. As someone who accepted people of different faiths in a predominantly Jewish environment, who accepted women in a strongly patriarchal society, and who had a distinct bias towards powerless and excluded people I can’t think of a better role model for our work within Baptistcare.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Leadership
I had the privilege of attending a workshop this week with some staff within Baptistcare who were reflecting on the spirit and practice of leadership. I shared with them this legend about a monastery in France well-known throughout Europe because of the extraordinary leadership of a man known only as Brother Leo. Several monks began a pilgrimage to visit Brother Leo to learn from him. Almost immediately the monks began to bicker as to who should do various chores.
"On the third day they met another monk who was also going to the monastery and he joined their party. This monk never complained or shirked a duty, and whenever the others would fight over a chore, he would gracefully volunteer and simply do it himself. By the last day the other monks were following his example, and they worked together smoothly.
"When they reached the monastery and asked to see Brother Leo, the man who greeted them laughed. 'But our brother is among you!' And he pointed to the fellow who had joined them late in the trip." (Michael Josephson www.charactercounts.org)
"On the third day they met another monk who was also going to the monastery and he joined their party. This monk never complained or shirked a duty, and whenever the others would fight over a chore, he would gracefully volunteer and simply do it himself. By the last day the other monks were following his example, and they worked together smoothly.
"When they reached the monastery and asked to see Brother Leo, the man who greeted them laughed. 'But our brother is among you!' And he pointed to the fellow who had joined them late in the trip." (Michael Josephson www.charactercounts.org)
Monday, August 2, 2010
...or client-centred?
Is person-centred the same as client-centred? Are we simply talking about good customer relations when we say we are person-centred? Let’s take, for example, the nice guy at Harvey Norman who asks so pleasantly if he can help, then takes you to the toaster section and gives you a great explanation of the different types of toasters, their respective advantages and disadvantages and how much they cost. He even offers to reduce the price for you because he has been given advice from his superior that there is enough fat built into the system to make people feel that the discount he is offering is just for them.
Really, you are just another sale, and he couldn’t care a fig if you are wanting to buy a toaster for your aunty who is sick at home and can’t get out to go shopping, or you’re needing a second toaster because you’ve just married this nice guy with five children and you don’t have enough toasters to meet the needs of your growing family.
Being person-centred in the health and welfare sector has to be more than taking a special interest in people so that we can sell them our product, even if that product is care, compassion and a nice cup of tea. It’s about putting that person at the centre of our attention, so that they have a choice about the service they receive and can make real decisions about how that service is provided. Client-centredness is simply good customer relations that is ultimately about the organisation that is providing the service or product. Person-centredness is about putting the person first.
Please feel free to use the comment section in this blog to express your views on my comments. Also use the facility at the bottom of this blog to share by email, facebook or twitter.
Really, you are just another sale, and he couldn’t care a fig if you are wanting to buy a toaster for your aunty who is sick at home and can’t get out to go shopping, or you’re needing a second toaster because you’ve just married this nice guy with five children and you don’t have enough toasters to meet the needs of your growing family.
Being person-centred in the health and welfare sector has to be more than taking a special interest in people so that we can sell them our product, even if that product is care, compassion and a nice cup of tea. It’s about putting that person at the centre of our attention, so that they have a choice about the service they receive and can make real decisions about how that service is provided. Client-centredness is simply good customer relations that is ultimately about the organisation that is providing the service or product. Person-centredness is about putting the person first.
Please feel free to use the comment section in this blog to express your views on my comments. Also use the facility at the bottom of this blog to share by email, facebook or twitter.
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