Today (1 November) is World Compassionate Communities Day. The day aims to to build on the momentum of the growing number of compassionate communities (aka ComCom), and to highlight the work of members and member organisations around the globe who mobilise and connect people through local compassionate actions related to dying, death, caregiving and grief.
To mark World Compassionate Communities Day, we’ve decided to highlight two ComCom projects right here in western Victoria: Compassionate Hearts on the Bellarine and Shannon’s Bridge in Creswick.
Dr Claire Hepper, a GP from Creswick and the co-founder of Shannon’s Bridge, explains what compassionate communities are:
Compassionate communities can be thought of as ‘circles of care’ and involve the activation of community members to care for each other. They draw on community strengths, resources and resilience to help care for those experiencing death, dying, caregiving, loss and bereavement. A community can be anything from a small group of friends to a whole city and everything in between. There is no wrong way to build a compassionate community. People are encouraged to be engaged and informed about death, dying and care. This knowledge, sometimes called ‘death literacy’, can then help adapt a communities’ behaviour to be more active in supporting others with end-of-life issues.
Dr David Brumley, a palliative care specialist and a founding member of Compassionate Hearts on the Bellarine (CHoB), says, “CHob is a volunteer group and part of the worldwide compassionate community’s movement, which recognises the natural cycles of health and sickness, birth and death, love and loss. We respect the palliative medical and nursing care provided by our local services and work closely with them.”
“Our volunteers offer non-medical ‘good neighbour’ practical, emotional and social support to local people experiencing a life limiting illness, death, grief or loss. This includes companionship, carers respite, transport, assistance with pets, reading and light errands,” says Dr Brumley.
CHoB is managed by a committee and is a registered charity. Dr Brumley says the organisation believes that the ‘missing link’ in home care is the community itself. For this reason, it actively promotes community education and understanding, believing that the more community members understand, the better they can make appropriate choices for themselves and their families.
Shannon’s Bridge in Creswick was established in 2017. Dr Hepper says that it is a volunteer driven, not-for-profit registered charity that helps connect patients and families with supports and services for end-of-life care. Shannon’s Bridge works collaboratively with health services and community organisations to ensure equity of access to palliative care supports with a focus on ‘Care for the Carer’ initiatives.
“We ‘bridge’ the gaps between formal and informal care networks by advocacy, equipment and education as well as providing in-home respite and counselling. Everything is provided for free to promote wellbeing for families dealing with issues related to illness, caring, dying and grieving,” says Dr Hepper.
“Since 2018, Shannon’s Bridge have helped over 98% of their families remain in their preferred place of care for their last days. This not only takes the pressure off overwhelmed health services but also improves quality of life for the person and grief processing for their loved ones,” says Dr Hepper.
How to get involved
Compassionate Hearts on the Bellarine: If you’d like to learn more, ask for help or volunteer, visit their website or email adm.chob@gmail.com.
Shannon’s Bridge: If you want to know more, ask for help or volunteer visit their website or email shannonsbridge@gmail.com.