Compassion and Empathy

Compassion and Empathy

I recently had the opportunity to lead a discussion during the Festival of Empathy on ‘compassion and empathy’ with a focus on older people in our different faith communities.  I found it helpful to consider the definitions and chose the following:

Compassion – a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

Empathy – the ability to understand and share the feelings of another (as in eg, authors have the skill to make you feel empathy with their heroines), whereas sympathy means ‘feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune (as in eg, they had great sympathy for the flood victims).

All our major religions have compassion as a core virtue:

·         Hindu – compassion is the core virtue in its philosophy

·         Judaism – God is the compassionate

·         Christianity – Jesus Christ the Father of Compassion

·         Islam – Allah the Compassionate

Accompanied by the Golden Rule “do to others what you would want them to do to you”.

Currently the new National Care Standards for health and social care in Scotland are being developed at the heart of which are five core principles:

• Dignity and respect
• COMPASSION
• Be included
• Responsive care and support
• Well-being

We discussed a range of questions which included:

·         Is being kind and helpful the same as being compassionate?

·         Can you teach compassion?

·         What do you understand by compassion fatigue?

·         What can we do to prevent such fatigue?

What do you think?

Maureen O’Neill

21 June 2016

Faith Communities as an asset

Faith Communities as an asset

It seems but yesterday when Faith in Older People published the results of the research it had undertaken with faith communities in Scotland (2013) regarding their support for older people within their congregations and inclusive of others in the community.  A wide range of religious, social and practical services were offered which embraced pastoral care at home and in care homes.

This work has led to FiOP developing its ‘dementia friendly faith communities work’ as there was a clear indication that this was a particular concern to many congregations.  Our aim is to affirm and support activities and to continue to develop an understanding of the need of those with dementia and their carers.

There is perhaps some way to go in ensuring that the contributions and needs of an ageing congregation are recognised, appreciated and understood as older people provide the backbone to many congregations.  I was therefore interested to read a book entitled ‘A vision for the Ageing Church’ which has been written by two American academics which points out the following:

“Despite religious edicts and demographic realities that accentuate the need for faith-based initiatives to deal with a rapidly ageing population, communities of faith have not responded to their tremendous potential.  In general, the professional communities (scientific and practice) have not had access to congregations and this lack of collaboration has continued because unifying frameworks in successful ageing and care giving have not incorporated spiritual into their evidence-based models of intervention”.

There is a growing emphasis on the importance of spiritual well-being and this is an integral part of person centred care.  It embraces compassion and kindness which are key contributors to well-being which complement and support clinical or social care practice.  There is room for greater collaboration which draws on the strengths of faith communities and builds the strengths of those who need care and those who provide it.

‘A vision for the Ageing Church’ James M. Houston and Michael Parker; Intervarsity Press (2011)

Maureen O’Neill

May 2016

Palliative Care and Spiritual Care

Palliative Care and Spiritual Care

Over the years FiOP has considered issues around end of life.  We have held civic café events; seminars and had a brilliant lecture from Baroness Neuberger.  Working with Good Life; Good Death; Good Grief we have tried to encourage people to have conversations about death and dying from a practical point of view but also a spiritual one.  It is important to find ways of having such conversations in whatever way emerges to suit family and friends.

Elizabeth Mackinlay writes about our reluctance to discuss death and dying in her book Palliative Care, Ageing and Spirituality, because we don’t know how to speak about death; because we deny it 

and because dying has gradually moved from the intimacy of home to institutions like hospital. We need to understand our own reluctance.

However, there is a strong connection between palliative care and spirituality which is why FiOP is holding a joint conference with the Scottish Partnership on Palliative Care.  Whilst our aim is to consider the impact of recent policy initiatives in both areas, we want to highlight the importance of having a focus on the spiritual needs of the individual at the end of life as being intrinsic to good palliative care.

The Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care stresses the principle that ‘each individual person’s physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs are recognised and addressed as far as it is possible’.

World Health Organisation (2010) highlights that palliative care aims to improve the quality of life for people who have a life-threatening illness and is defined as:

'an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and others problems, physical psychosocial and spiritual’.

In this context we are talking about meaning and purpose in life and relationship.  For some this is around religion but for others it embraces different dimensions but which enable people to make sense of their lives which is particularly relevant to those who are facing death.

The importance of ‘presence’ is discussed by many authors but Steve Nolan eloquently illustrates this issue in relation to spiritual care through:

•      recognising and owning one’s personal anxiety about death – mindfulness of being
•     attending to the other person – listening attentively
•     staying with the other – willing to go along the journey as far as being invited to share
•     being open to change within oneself

Our conference will consider how our policies and practice enable an improved quality of life and the books referred to help us to better understand these issues.

To book your place at our conference on 7 June 2016 click HERE

Palliative Care; Ageing and Spirituality; A Guide for Older People and Families.  Elizabeth Mackinlay; Jessica Kingsley (2012)

Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care 2016-2021 Scottish Government (2015)

Spiritual Care at the end of Life; Steve Nolan; Jessica Kingsley (2012)