More heart-warming stories of kindness
With Mental Health Awareness Week and its ‘kindness’ theme having come and gone, we continue to hear about extraordinary tales of kindness and humanity from across the group.
Sylvia Wisna, manager at SCRT Homecare in Stirling wrote to tell us about something from the “positive side of lockdown”. Care worker Sheena Duncan (right) contacted her local Tesco which donated juice drinks that she then distributed to elderly patients at Forth Valley Hospital in Larbert.
Sylvia said, “Sheena is an amazing caring person who also did knitting of ‘twiddle muffs’ for patients. As a service manager, I can easily say that my staff are truly very dedicated and passionate”.
We agree that everyone across the group will appreciate what Sylvia calls Sheena’s “gold heart”.
And there was more compassion in evidence at Guardian Homecare in Preston. Manager Ross McCrann wrote to share “a little heartfelt thank you to one of our care staff Maxine Johnson”.
When service user and dog lover Mrs Wylie sadly died, Maxine knew exactly how to commemorate her. “Maxine, very thoughtfully got a flower arrangement made for Mrs Wylie’s funeral – in the shape of a dog!” (left), writes Ross.
“It’s humbling to have such thoughtful care staff on our team, and what a lovely way to send off Mrs Wylie – the arrangement would have made her smile.” We’re sure it would, Ross, and we share your appreciation of a gesture that must have meant a lot to the family.
Another inspiring tale came from Maria Gerardo, who, in normal times, works with the clients at the Pullen Day Centre in London. Unfortunately, the wonderful resource has been closed since the coronavirus pandemic took hold, leaving clients isolated at home.
As we have reported previously here, students from Westminster School often volunteer to attend Pullen, but the temporary closure of the centre hasn’t stopped them maintaining contact.
Says Maria, “this week I have arranged with their teacher for the students to write to all our clients that are at home. They have been writing letters and finding appropriate poems and pictures for our clients and so far the response has been really positive and our clients are so grateful to have some contact with them.”
Student volunteer Andrew wrote to one client, John, and included a poem by American novelist and poet Rachel Field. In his letter to John, he said that the poem was “about travelling or journeying to new places and remembering them after you have left – I thought you might like it!”. We’ve reproduced it here:
If Once You Have Slept on An Island
If once you have slept on an island
You’ll never be quite the same;
You may look as you looked the day before
And go by the same old name.
You may bustle about in street and shop
You may sit at home and sew,
But you’ll see blue water and wheeling gulls
Wherever your feet may go.
You may chat with the neighbours of this and that
And close to your fire keep,
But you’ll hear ship whistle and lighthouse bell
And tides beat through your sleep.
Oh! you won’t know why and you can’t say how
Such a change upon you came,
But once you have slept on an island,
You’ll never be quite the same.
Andrew was delighted to receive a reply from John reminiscing about his own travels as a younger man. “I do remember sleeping on the beach on Hydra in the Mediterranean, but we got bitten by mosquitoes. My daughter says we will get bitten here too later in the summer. Thank you for the poem. I look forward to receiving more, if you have time.”
To see such a lovely inter-generational relationship blossom really cheered us up in these difficult times – we hope it cheered you up too. And well done to Maria for thinking creatively to bring some light during days that have been somewhat dark of late.
