|
|
A CARING COMMUNITY
Deborah Brockbank writes of the value of community in giving practical support to the disadvantaged
I became involved in 'caring' through seeing a need and getting stuck in. I've always had a heart for the vulnerable. The apostle Paul talks about giving greater honour to the weaker members. Those who are poor, have no close family, are frail or confused, are likely to be disadvantaged by today's culture. Who is to speak up for and care for these ones?
I am inspired by Mother Teresa too - serving those who have nothing to give in return. To me, that's the heart of Jesus. Sometimes I've wondered if I'm just a humanist, but I realise that the difference is seeing Jesus in the eyes of that dying man, or the handshake of that alcoholic.
Recently, I heard someone talk about the 'sacrament' of the elderly; of the mentally ill, of the physically disabled. These loved ones are a visible means of invisible grace. Jesus said, "As you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it unto Me" (Matthew 25:40).
I 'officially' care for two people and I get paid the Invalid Carers Allowance. One is a man called Pete who has lived in Community for over 25 years. He's in his mid-50s now. At university Pete had a motorbike accident which left him with permanent brain damage. His career as a vet came to an abrupt end.
I lived in the same house as Pete for seven years and grew aware that his mental capacity was diminishing and that he needed specific help. Since then I have worked alongside a social worker, finding Pete a place for two days a week at a day centre for people with acquired brain damage. Pete's short term memory is very poor, so I try to help him remember appointments. Recently, I had a letter from one of Pete's brothers expressing his gratitude for all that we do for Pete.
"We are profoundly grateful for the time and care which you and the other members of the community, devote to Pete. At a risk of sounding patronising, I think that 'unprofessional ability' possessed by you and your colleagues is of a completely different quality to that of professional 'carers' and much more preferable. The Fellowship has been Pete's home for so long now, and he has found contentment, fulfilment and friendship there."
The other person I officially care for is an older lady who lives in nearby secure accommodation, but who comes to our community house seven days a week from 9.3Oam to 9.3Opm. We first met Dorothy when we had some outreach in Birmingham ten years ago. She was very lonely and spent her days walking the streets. Dorothy is divorced and has one estranged son, so she had no one to look out for her.
Over the years I have gradually adopted the role of Dorothy's carer. I have to liaise closely with her doctor, consultant and other health and social workers as we seek to meet the needs of her advancing age and frailty of health. I'm really playing the role that a natural daughter might have played: that of advocate and friend.
While I don't have any formal caring qualifications I'm studying an Open University Degree Course in Health and Social Studies. But as Mother Teresa says: "At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by, I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat... I was naked and you clothed Me... I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me (Matthew 25: 35-6)."
|
|
|
Caring community
