Refreshing the spirit

Refreshing the spirit

It feels as if it was only yesterday that we were thinking about 2015 and what we wanted to achieve.  The time seems to have flashed past and as we reach the end of this year we reflect on what has happened to us and to others in the past months.  For many it has been an extremely difficult year with conflict and displacement; with change and confusion; loss and bereavement and other things which challenge our resilience and sense of hope.

But this is a time of light and expectation; of looking forward and to harnessing our strengths to meet the challenges of the next year.  Which will, no doubt, pass just as quickly as previous ones or perhaps this is a phenomenon that comes to us as we grow older.

It is a time to refresh our spirit which draws together the things which matter most to us; which give us a sense of meaning and purpose and the way in which we view the world. For FiOP spirituality, however we define it for ourselves, is the glue which binds us and gives us a connection with the wider world.

We want to make sure that this element of our lives is reflected in the way services and policies are developed; the way in which we treat each other; how we empower those who are more vulnerable and how we enhance a sense of well-being.  Never shy of a challenge we know there is much to do as we progress work on dementia friendly faith communities; consider how spiritual care can be enhanced in continuing care unit; how we encourage people to consider that understanding their own spirituality can enhance the way they treat other people.

As we approach the New Year suggestions stimulated by Edward Hays as to how we might travel have resonance:

• face the unknown and see it as an adventure
• travel simply and take joy and hardship as they come
• open our ears, eyes and minds and heart to new experiences

 All our good wishes for Christmas and for a peaceful, fruitful and fulfilling 2016

Maureen O’Neill

Director

December 2015

How Listening Can Bring Life

HOW LISTENING CAN BRING LIFE    

A day event for anyone involved with Pastoral Care of older people

WHY

Listening to our older people is especially important in our society that remains focused on activity and achievements and does not value quality of life experience and the wisdom that comes from living a long life.

Yet our older people do face real challenges of increased frailty; loss of friends; disappointments through life and often lack of choice in current forms supported care.

WHAT

So what have each of us learnt from the older people we have lived alongside? What has listening to them taught us about listening well and ageing well? We will listen to one another and gather our experiences and reflect upon the richness of the life experience of the elderly and how to listen to them and bring them compassion and valuing. We will tackle some of the more difficult issues, how to bring hope when older people feel hopeless; how to bring questions of faith into the conversation; how to work out what lifts their spirits?

A simple framework will be offered to help you reflect yourself on your visits in a focused way. The exercises we use you can replicate with others who are also caring, potentially giving networks of learning and support at home.

AIM

The intention of this day is to allow us all to appreciate the power of listening well; so that listening can be both ordinary and extraordinary. 

Above all it is about reflecting on how to listen so that those we listen to, most especially the elderly, experience affirmation, appreciation, understanding and so given life.

The beauty of listening well is that it is reciprocal process so that the benefits are mutual, thus making our gift of time and listening life-giving for us, too.

Jenny Williams

December 2015

Malcolm Goldsmith Lecture 2015 given by Professor Sir Harry Burns

Malcolm Goldsmith Lecture 17^th November 2015

The causes of wellness throughout life – Professor Sir Harry Burns

This year’s lecture was given by Professor Sir Harry Burns, Professor of Global Health at Strathclyde University.  It was challenging and thought provoking and made us consider all the factors which impact on our well-being.   

He stressed that it is not just a case of being ‘well or ill’ but what is really influencing our sense of well-being.  He used the statement from the World Health Organisation as a starting point:

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease”.

It would be impossible to do justice in a summary of the lecture which was detailed, wide ranging and demonstrated the complexity of achieving well-being all of which was delivered with empathy and humour.  Therefore only some key themes will be illustrated and any misinterpretation is mine.

The emphasis of the lecture was on the social aspects in particular as being primary contributors to our sense of belonging and self esteem.  In coming to this point he gave comparative figures in relation to the health of the Scots and pointed out the myths which surround the commonly held view that it is amongst the worst in Europe.  It is not all about smoking, diet and alcohol but about what lies behind these factors in terms of social and environmental issues and that the inequalities in mortality for men, for instance, is in relation to drugs, violence and suicide whose origins are often in early childhood.

Sir Harry pointed out the changing social structures since the 1950s; the kind of housing that was developed; the loss of communities; the changing employment patterns which have all impacted on our sense of community and worthiness.

For FiOP, his emphasis on ‘man’s sense of meaning’ as “Those who have a ‘why’ to live can bear with almost any ‘how’” (Victor Frankl) has a strong resonance and helps to further ground the importance of the spiritual dimension based on this definition.  Such resonance is also carried through with the sense of community, consistency and coherence being of vital importance to how we view the world from an early age. 

Probably the starkest message was in relation to babies and children in whom the impact of a lack of care, consistency and safety has a profound physical, emotional and mental long term effect.  This can become evident in higher risks of violence, alcoholism being factors in a cycle of alienation.  He emphasised the economic cost of child maltreatment as well the social cost.  He said that it is possible to reverse the effects of a difficult life but this requires support to encourage physical activity of at least 150 minutes per week, to practise mindfulness and develop strong social connections.

Underlying the whole approach Sir Harry took was the importance of compassion and considering the assets we have within us and our communities.  

He quoted Father Greg Boyle “ Here is what we seek: a compassion that stands in awe of the burdens the poor have to carry rather than one that stands in judgement at how they carry them”.  

Archbishop Oscar Romero stated “let us not tire of preaching love: it is the force that will overcome the world.  If there were love of neighbour there would be no terrorism, no repression, and no selfishness, none of such cruel inequalities in society, no abductions, and no crimes”.  

He emphasised that compassion is at the heart of all faiths.

“We need to be brave and don’t forget the hugs” (Professor Sir Harry Burns)

A full set of Sir Harry's slides is also available from the FiOP website - click HERE to view

Maureen O’Neill

Director, Faith in Older People