Pastoral Care is central to the mission and core values of Saint John of God Menni Services. There is a pastoral dimension to all our activities in addition to the specialist services provided through our Chaplaincy Department.
One focus area for our Pastoral Care Department is End of Life Care and issues. “How we deal with death and dying has been described as a measure of our humanity. We should treat our going out with the same respect and awe that we attach to our coming in, our birth. Both occasions are momentous-both are part of the life cycle” (Perspectives on End of Life Report, 2009, Irish Hospice Foundation)
The above quote comes from the Irish Hospice Foundation who have been doing a lot of work in promoting End of Life Care. As part of End of Life Care the Department of Health has just published a draft general scheme for Advance Healthcare Directives which will be included in the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013. This means that Advance Healthcare Directives are currently recognised under common law. So if you prepare one, they are recognised by the courts. But there was no legislation governing them. Until now. The government proposes to bring in a law to govern Advance Healthcare Directive. It will be introduced in the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013. (more information on this can be found at, www.dohc.ie/consultations/open/AHDs/Draft_General_Scheme_AHDs.pdf?direct=1)
This move will promote the autonomy of a person to have their wished noted. As part of this the area of End of Life Care will also be noted if the person wishes. In line with all these developments here in Menni the Chaplain and the Speech and Language department have developed an End of Life Form where the men and women attending our service can have their wishes for End of Life noted if they wish to.
The Irish Hospice Foundation has developed a form called “Think Ahead” which deals with Advanced Care Directives and the Chaplain has linked in with them in relation to their form and how it can be adapted for the Intellectual Disability Sector. This is in conjunction with the Dublin Mid-Lenister group working on an End of Life Care Pathway for the Intellectual Disability Sector.
The Chaplain in Menni meets with anyone expressing a wish to fill out the form and supports them in doing this. Going forward the Chaplain will run groups on this topic and from this the men and women can make an informed choice around the form (weather to fill out one or not) and also work in liaison with families and key workers.
Staff will be supported in the area of End of Life by taking part in the Final Journeys Programme (a programme developed by the Irish Hospice Foundation). To date the men and women who have been supported in filling out this form have found it very helpful.
As Holy Week and Easter are the most important events in the Christian Liturgical Calendar Year, I wish to join with our Prior General, Brother Jesus Etayo, to wish all of the members of our Hospitaller Family of Saint John of God peace and joy.
Furthermore, I wish to thank everybody for the daily commitment in continuing the work of Saint John of God in the manner that he would approve of. It is true that we face many challenges in the day to day management and administration of our services for a variety of reasons, but we must not be discouraged.
The message of Easter is one of hope and courage. Brother Jesus tells us in his Easter message ‘not to be afraid for the Lord is Risen’. Yes, the Lord is truly Risen and He is with us as He promised He would be. ( Matthew 28:20) It is this conviction and the total trust in Him that this gives rise to in our lives that enables us to face the future with hope.
I will let Our Father, Saint John of God, conclude this short message: “I have nothing else to say to you, except to express the wish that God may save and keep you and lead you and everybody in his holy service.” (Letter to Luis Bautista)
United with you all in the joy and the hope that this Holy Season brings us.
Brother Donatus Forkan OH
Provincial
Feast Day of Saint Benedict Menni 24th April
Benedict Menni (1841-1914) devoted his life to supporting the vulnerable and marginalised, in particular promoting more compassionate treatment for those with mental health problems.
From a wealthy Milanese family, he was the fifth of 15 children. In 1859, at the battle of Magenta, he volunteered to help transport the wounded from Milan railway station to the nearby hospital. This brought him into contact with the Hospitallers who inspired him so much that he entered their novitiate in1860. Four years later he made his solemn profession of vows, taking the name of Benedict. His reputation grew and after his ordination in 1866, he was commissioned by Pope Pius IX to re-found the Order in Spain where it had been banned since 1836 due to anti-clericism.
In 1867 Benedict succeeded in opening the first children’s hospital and refuge in Spain in the city of Barcelona and was appointed Superior of the Order in Spain in 1872. He moved to Marseille but soon returned to Spain to help victims of the Third Carlist War (1872-76) in the Basque provinces. Eventually Benedict managed to get funds for a building at Ciempozuelos, 20 miles outside Madrid where he founded a psychiatric hospital which would revolutionise the treatment of mentally ill patients in Spain.
Benedict insisted on a holistic approach and also recognised the importance of bringing women into his work. In 1881 he founded the Hospitaller Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. With the help of the Sisters, Benedict founded 17 psychiatric hospitals in Spain. Today his Sisters are working in 24 countries. He was canonised in 1999. Saint John of God Menni Services in Dublin is named in his honour.
Lucena Clinic Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service carry out research on staff’s experience of dealing with cyberbullying and online safety for children and young people
Technology has transformed our lives for the better but there are unique challenges associated with the internet particularly for children and adolescents who may be facing online hazards that they are not equipped to deal with and their carers may not be aware of. In light of media reports of the destructiveoutcomes of cyberbullying and online harassment for young people’s mental health, a team of researchers at Lucena Clinic; Aoife Lonergan (Assistant Psychologist), Amy Moriarity (Trainee Clinical Psychologist, UCD), Prof. Fiona McNicholas (Consultant Psychiatrist), led by Principal Clinical Psychologist Triona Byrne, recently conducted an online survey of Lucena clinic staff’s experience, practice and views on the issue of cyberbullying and the challenge of promoting internet safety for children.
The literature suggests that young people and their families may not know how to stay safe on-line orto whom to report unsafe internet experience.The thinking behind the Lucena Clinic staff survey was that Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) staff may have a vital role in helping children to communicate about and learn from problematic internet experiences. However, little is known about staff experiences, training needs or their preferences for training resources about internet safety and cyberbullying. The survey was launced on international internet safety day (February 11th 2014) and 90% of staff invited to particpaite gave their views. This resulted in a rich source of information and demonsrated that it was a relevent topic to study and address.
Preliminary results indicate that cyberbullying is a common problem raised by children and teens attending the Lucena service. The majority of staff surveyed are concerned and willing to develop plans of care for the child and family that will promtote internet safety. All the staff who completed the survey requested further training to equip them to be more knowledgeable about ways to promote internet safety for children and address cyberbullying.Staff expressed a strong preference for information/ resource packs to adviseand guide both caregivers and young people on internet safety and cyberbullying.
The preliminary findings of this study suggest that addressing cyberbullying and child internet safety should be a priority in CAMHS. Supporting and training CAMHS professionals to discuss internet safety with youngpeople or caregivers may be an opportunity to contribute to patient safety and wellbeing. The next steps for the researchers is to analyse all the survey responses and feedback the results to staff with recommendations for design of a staff training module that also provides resources for children and carers.
