COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS Could you Make a difference? Paula Hine - Education and Development Manager - St Luke s Hospice
What is a compassionate friend? Why are compassionate friends important? What are our Ambitions for our Communities? What skills or attributes do we need to be recognised as compassionate friends? What is included in an awareness session and who runs them? Where are the sessions How can I book?
A Compassionate Friend is some-one who Makes a Difference by taking the time to LEND a helping hand or a friendly ear: Listen - to help them people talk over what they need, their worries or what they want to do Empathise - to acknowledge a person s situation and respect their choices Notice - when some-one may need some company, to have a chat or a helping hand or when they don t! Do - by giving practical support, signpost to services and resources, work with others to be a compassionate community
Adapted from the Star fish Poem Loren Eiseley Why the Star fish logo? One day a man was walking along the beach, when he noticed a boy hurriedly picking and gently throwing things into the ocean. Approaching the boy he asked, Young man, what are you doing? The boy replied, Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don t throw them back, they ll die. The man laughed to himself and said, Don t you realise there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can t make any difference! After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said, I made a difference to that one.
Our Ambition is that we build networks of Compassionate Friends to support people in their own homes Making a Difference Work with Communities to recognise Compassionate Friends Find Champions from the communities to help build their own informal networks: a. Run Compassionate Friends awareness sessions and / or b. Co-ordinate Friends to work together within the communities when needed
Why are compassionate friends important? The Man in the Van story shows how a group of compassionate friends can enable the Person Centred Approach we strive for (i.e. be cared for where and how person chooses). A compassionate community of friends re-establishes the traditional values of the local community spirit which may have become disbanded or disjointed due to changes in society e.g. less extended family support, families living far and wide and frequent house moves leading to neighbours not knowing each other e.t.c Informal networks working with formal support services can enhance quality of life for individuals with chronic illness and at End of Life (holistic care) Care of the dying has become over medicalised & we have become very dependent on our health and social care system so formal services cannot meet demand we need to view care and support differently
What skills or attributes do we need to be recognised as Compassionate Friends Be comfortable with people talking about future care wishes or bereavement
Compassionate Friends Sessions Introduce concept of Compassionate Communities and Compassionate Friends Talk about end of life myths & taboos Chat through concerns about having conversations about dying, bereavement and loss Discuss how we can make a difference Listening tips and conversation starters Talking about future care wishes Share information re support services Looking after yourself Make a pledge & wear your badge with pride! Next steps - how to become a Champion or how to become network Co-ordinator
A pledge could be... Sign up to become a Champion Pop in to say hello, share a cup of tea and have a chat Help out Mary with her shopping Become a compassionate Friend Co-ordinator Remember to acknowledge and give a bit more time to colleagues who need my support at work Take Jo down to buy the paper Help my nan think about her care wishes for the future Listen and give time to talk Work with others to set up a network Take a meal round to Stan
Feedback from Compassionate Friends Sessions
So.can you help us build Compassionate Communities across our City? We believe by working together anything is possible! Thank You for listening. For further information contact St Luke s Education: 01752 964250