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A
Snapshot of Support Teams from 2007 In 2007, Project
Compassion created and supported over 50 caregiving Support Teams for people
living with illness and their caregivers. Click
here to see some snapshots and stories of recent caregiving Support
Teams.
Recognizing
a Remarkable Support Team A long-time Durham resident (we’ll call her Jean)
was living at home with multiple chronic illnesses and very limited support.
A natural communicator, because of her illness she had become isolated
from the world around her. Project
Compassion worked with 8 individuals: her neighbors, her former co-workers, and
her friends, people who represented all aspects of her life, to form a Support
Team for her. Most of the Support
Team members did not know each other in the beginning, yet they worked
beautifully together to keep Jean in her home with her cat and thriving as much
as possible. Team activities included: yard mowing and maintenance, help
with organizing bills, watching Duke basketball games together, organizing the
building of a ramp so Jean could move off the porch and have some mobility. She
was fortunate enough to have a chef on her team who prepared fresh, delicious
meals on a consistent basis. They even helped her organize and prepare her
income taxes. What a gift they were to her!
Sandy’ Story Two
years ago, a woman with breast cancer moved to our community to go through
cancer treatment at an area hospital near her sister. In her former community in another part of the country she
was a well-respected professional with a strong network of friends.
When she arrived here, she realized that she needed much more support
than her sister could provide alone. She
called Project Compassion for help. Partnering
with a local faith community, we created a volunteer Support Team for her.
Since July of 2003, the 8 members of her Support Team have helped in
“innumerable ways”: visiting with her, transporting her to and from
chemotherapy treatments, helping with errands, shopping, gathering all types of
information for her and serving as her advocate. They’ve accompanied her on doctor visits, battened down the
hatches when storms approached, celebrated birthdays, decorated and
“de-decorated” her home for the holidays.
Just recently they helped her move into a new home.
She says: “I knew my team would do practical things but I had no idea how
important they would become to me. It’s
hard to put into words; in a real sense, they have truly become family to me.”
Elizabeth's Story Elizabeth is a 20 year old young
woman living with Batten Disease. This
rare illness affects 2 of every 100,000 children, causing mental impairment,
seizures, and a progressive loss of sight, motor skills, and the ability to
communicate. There’s no
prevention and no cure. Since Elizabeth’s family cares for her at home, the caregiving challenges are tremendous. This summer, Project Compassion partnered with the family’s faith community to create a caregiving Support Team called “Elizabeth’s Friends.” Almost 20 people attended Support Team orientation, enough volunteers to form two teams, one for Elizabeth and one for another family as well! Elizabeth’s Friends have become an intentional circle of care: keeping Elizabeth company while her parents take a break, preparing and delivering meals, raking leaves, helping around the house, assisting in numerous ways. According to Elizabeth’s father, the Support Team gives them the freedom and support they need to spend precious time together and make every day count!
A letter from a Support Team Recipient “I have been a healthy, active, independent woman all of my life. In January of this year I learned that I had a very aggressive breast cancer and needed surgery, chemotherapy and radiation which would dominate my life for the next year and a half. I found myself in totally unfamiliar territory. So much research to do, a ton of information to consider, questions to ask – with few definitive answers, and so many difficult decisions to make. Life changed. I had little control of its course. I needed help, and I wasn’t accustomed to asking for or accepting an offer of help. I had been the one that could be counted on. My children and close friends convinced me it was their turn to help me – and they did. But the fact is they couldn’t be available all the time. They worked, had families, and most were out of state. My next challenge was to be able to accept help from total strangers. When Project Compassion first talked with me about a Support Team, I accepted gratefully, but with guilt. It was one of the best decisions I have made. Having the Support Team has not only been a relief, but a joy. The people on my Support Team are not only caring, but responsive, dependable, and continue to be there for me, whatever my need. They have driven me to and from many chemotherapy appointments, done my grocery shopping, and taken me to the post office. They have come just to visit, and have phoned me regularly to check in and see what I need currently. Above all, the have taught me so much about accepting generosity. These are people who do what they do just because it’s the right thing to do. I
thank my Support Team and Project Compassion, the organization that supports
their valuable work. I am truly
grateful.” Wisdom
Works Support Teams A Wisdom Works Support Team of
senior volunteers provides support for a man with ALS and his family.
In his early 60s, this man is nearly immobile.
His wife works full time to support them.
The team helps coordinate visits, transportation to appointments, and
meals. According to the team leader:
“Without the team approach, I don’t think there would be any way we
could do as much as we have been able to do.
I feel I get so much more out of it than I could possibly contribute.
I feel so blessed to work with such a great group.” In 2004, Project Compassion
was selected for a Wisdom Works demonstration grant from the National Council on
Aging and the Metlife Foundation. One
of eight sites selected from among 200 applicants nationwide, this grant helped
Project Compassion develop a network of senior Support Teams composed primarily
of volunteers age 60+. In the past year, over 175
Wisdom Works volunteers have provided volunteer caregiving for over 100
individuals. These senior
volunteers have given 5500 hours of volunteer service to benefit their
neighbors. Teams have been created in
partnership with a range of community groups and organizations, including faith
communities, retirement communities, and friendship groups. In one retirement community, a
woman with failing vision now has a Wisdom Works Support Team of senior
volunteers who visit her, read to her, transport her, and help her tend to her
roses. According to one team member:
“I have a whole new way to help my neighbors.
I don’t have to wonder if their needs are getting met.
With the team approach, it becomes clear what they need and how I can
help.” As our Wisdom Works grant concludes, we now have a whole
new network of teams and resources geared for senior volunteers.
One Wisdom Works team leader may have summed it up when he said:
Support
Teams at Carolina Meadows When Carolina Meadows Retirement Community hosted Project Compassion’s first Support Team Leadership Training Conference in April, 2002, resident volunteers had already formed a Support Team. Carolina Meadows now has 7 Support Teams with 67 volunteers! According to Larry Barrus, the volunteer who coordinates Support Teams at Carolina Meadows, Support Team Leadership Training made a big difference for him. “The training is helpful because it really energizes you and gives you a focus,” says Barrus. Barrus, who spent his career starting things, has been a natural at staring Support Teams. He explains that while there have always been plenty of volunteers at Carolina Meadows, many have been concerned about over-commitment. With a Support Team approach, Barrus says, “the whole thing snaps into place. People say “I can surely give 1-2 hours a month.” Project
Compassion is grateful to Carolina Meadows for
supporting the Support Team Initiative and for all they are teaching us
about Support Teams in a residential setting. Support
Teams In Collaboration with AARP NC Locally, Project Compassion collaborates with AARP NC and A Helping Hand to offer a Support Teams at Shepherd’s House, an assisted living residence on Smith Level Road in Chapel Hill. This Support Team provides companionship, friendly visiting, emotional and spiritual support to residents. Participation is not limited to AARP members. To volunteer for this exciting project, call (919) 402-1844 or email james@project-compassion.org.
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