My Home Life

‘My Home Life’

I recently attended an excellent seminar organised by City University, London, with support from the Henry Smith Charity. The participants came from all over the UK and represented a range of voluntary and statutory sector organisations with a concern for ensuring that older people in care homes retained their connection with their local community – the one they were used to before becoming a resident and the one engaged with the care home.  Community was defined by interest and connection not just geographical.

The discussions were wide ranging and embraced volunteering, relatives, intergenerational, creative activities and spiritual care.  It is clear that older people entering care homes are now both older and frailer with a much higher level of dependency and therefore the need to high quality trained staff is critical but that staff also need to be supported and valued.  A key challenge is to overcome the fact that society struggles with care homes in terms of quality, relatives guilt sometimes, perceptions of ‘money grabbing’ and a feeling that they are undesirable but necessary.

Care homes have been seen as ‘ islands of the old isolated from their communities’ and the purpose of the workshop was to consider ways in which connections and ways of engaging the local community could be better developed.  Lots of interesting and creative ideas emerged from the discussion.

Care homes have historically been ‘islands of the old – isolated from their local communities’ and we were all asked to contribute our current work to the themes identified in this train journey:-

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Extract from the presentation made by Tom Owen – My Home Life Team.  Email: mhl@city.ac.uk   www.myhomelife.org.uk

Faith and spiritual support (blue ring) played a significant role so I would welcome your ideas, knowledge about current work and ideas about the challenges to be confronted.

Maureen O’Neill – ideas to info@fiop.org.uk

Body, Mind and Spirit

Body, Mind and Spirit

This is the way that the World Health Organisation describes what good health should encompass.  Two seminars I have attended recently have addressed issues around mental health and palliative care which embrace these concepts.

A focus on the spiritual dimension in understanding individuals and finding out where they can develop their coping strengths is an essential element when we are considering how to retain connections and to combat loneliness.

We need to listen, to see and hear the individual and have the capacity for kindness.  A Joseph Rowntree report (13^th December 2013 – A Better Life Programme) highlights the fact that kindness is a critical quality and that other skills can be taught.  TLC might be thought as old fashioned but emerges as a fundamental need  “if we don’t recruit, train and support intelligent kindness, we all face a bleak future” (JRF Report 2013).

Voluntary Health Scotland has brought together a group to consider mental health issues and the Scottish Government are currently considering its ‘Palliative and End of Life Care Strategic Framework’; further information can be obtained from Http://www.nhsinform.co.uk/palliativecare/. 

Maureen O’Neill

June 2015

Celebrating the contribution of faith communities to supporting older people

Celebrating the contribution of faith communities to supporting older people

Reception in the Scottish Parliament 9^th June 2015

Richard Baker MSP and Sandra White MSP, Convenor of the Cross Party Group on Age and Ageing, kindly hosted a reception for Faith in Older People (FiOP) to acknowledge and support the work undertaken by faith communities in support of older people.  This friendly event highlighted the range of work that is being undertaken across Scotland which had been highlighted in a major survey undertaken by FiOP with the support of the Joint Improvement Team.

There was a strong emphasis on celebrating the lives of older people and their contribution to supporting other older people in the community.  The activities embraced bringing people together in churches, synagogues and mosques to continue worship; providing community activities that enabled people to feel connected; visiting at home wherever this might be and continued friendship. 

Continuing a social life or receiving care in dementia clubs were all part of the spectrum.

‘Meaning and purpose’ is fundamental to our lives and the opportunities offered by faith communities to people who live in the local community are part of an inclusive and sharing approach.

The evening offered the chance to bring together people who have contributed enormously to the work of FiOP by bringing their expertise on specific issues and working collaboratively to highlight issues of importance which contribute to delivering good person centred care and clearly acknowledge a person as an individual.

Maureen O’Neill

Photograph from left to right: Richard Baker MSP, Maureen O'Neill Director FIOP, Sandra White MSP, Bruce Cameron Chair FIOP