Hi everyone!
It's been a
while since I've blogged and I'm happy to join you again to close
off 2011 and bring in the New Year. I'd like to start by thanking
Katherine and Jill for sharing their wonderful insights and
personal stories with everyone these last few months. I hope that
you've enjoyed reading their blogs as much as I have.
This time of year, much of our energy is spent on celebrating
and indulging in festivities that are specific to each of our own
personal cultures. For years now, I have encouraged support
providers to ask people what is important to them in terms of
celebrating the Holiday Season (or not), and to help them find a
way to do this with their families, friends, neighbours and also
take advantage of community celebrations.
When people rely mostly on paid support for day to day care, to
connect with friends and family and to access their community, they
also depend on these same service providers to help them celebrate
or observe cultural Holiday practices. Providing this type of
support is not always easy for the service provider and can take a
lot of figuring out.
Since my childhood, I have been fascinated by discussions of how
Holidays should be celebrated. Of course my way is the only right
way (not really), but it is the only right way for me. I do care
that what matters most to me in terms of celebrating is part of my
celebration every year.
For me, being a French
Canadian who was also raised Catholic, this particular Holiday
Season means that we celebrate by going to church December
24th for Christmas Eve mass. When I was young, midnight
mass was actually at midnight (now we have the option of going to
'midnight' mass as early as 5pm - not the same but quite nice for
my not so young body). In my young days, after church we gathered
for a réveillon de noël. A réveillon is a party that lasts
all night and involves eating loads of hot food including the
traditional tourtière (meat pie), and singing des
chansons à répondre (a unique type of sing-a-long). This is
also when we opened our Christmas gifts.
Christmas still involves most of these French Canadian family
traditions but sometimes they look a little different, which is
okay with me because I'm part of making the decisions about how we
modify our activities. Things that are most important to me, like
baking, will never change because to me it wouldn't be Christmas
without making batches of our favourite family recipes.
As you can
probably imagine, supporting me during this Holiday Season would
probably take lots of planning and creativity if I had to rely on
paid supports to make it all happen. I do have to say that I don't
think it would be much of a Christmas celebration without all my
family traditions. Luckily, I have family members who also enjoy
some of the same traditions and we take turns making bits and
pieces of it happen. Together, we are bigger than the sum of our
parts. It is much easier and a lot more fun, to come together to
make it happen.
The best Christmas stories I've heard, are those where support
providers have been able to learn what matters most to people and
their loved ones, in terms of celebrating and observing cultural
and family traditions and have worked together with them to make it
happen. Not only did the person and their family appreciate the
personalized support, but support workers were proud of the
difference they made.
Thanks to all of you who take this extra care in providing
person centred supports! It's not always easy but it sure is fun to
see the difference it makes in someone's life.
I look forward to sharing my January blog where I share the
inspiring work that Barb Swartz-Biscaro has done with a grade 8
class to help them prepare for secondary school.
Happy New Year everyone!
