By Ian Sanderson, Activity Co-ordinator, Whitgift House
Today is Ash Wednesday. As a member of the activity team my role is to make residents aware of the chapel services, then facilitate a visit from the priest for those residents that can not attend a chapel service. While arranging those visits it is important to get informed consent from the resident or a written advanced directive, as to receive the ashes the priest needs to touch the other person on the forehead.
This brings me to Vivian. I know that visits to the chapel for communion are highly important to Vivian as she does make a point of saying when she hasn’t been for communion. When visiting Vivian in the morning of the Ash Wednesday service, we could not communicate as she was in a deep sleep and it was still quit early. I knew how important this service would be to Vivian, so I added her name to the visit list, without her ‘informed consent’.
The priest and I visited Vivians room, and she was sleeping soundly. After some information from the carers, I decided to persist.
I called Vivians name a couple of times and her eyes opened.
“Vivian I’ve brought someone to see you”
She looked at me briefly and when she turned and saw the Priest her face lit up with a huge smile, a smile I hadn’t seen for a long time. Vivian gripped my hand so tightly my finger went white.
She received communion, the ashes, and blessings. Vivian looked at us both with such joy in her eyes I knew I had done the right thing.
Vivians’s reaction had such an emotional impact, I cried. I wasn’t expecting that reaction, but I knew that if Vivian had missed this day, she would have been miserable. These are the moments that can happen when, more than lip service is paid to Person-Centred care.