Key new group formed to focus on health and care

By the CoR Health and Care Group:

Following a session at the AGM in Swanwick this year, when Susan Thomas (a consultant) led a session on the Health and Care needs of Religious, the Executive of CoR decided to form a small working group to take forward this important area of work.

To date, our group has met on two occasions and initially comprises of the following members:

Monica Matthews, Holy Child (Chair)

Jacinta Boland, Religious Sister of Charity

Bernie Boland, IBVM (and member of the CoR Executive)

Margaret Bannerton, Daughter of Charity

Susan Thomas, (facilitator and adviser)

We have already had wide ranging discussions based on some of the personal experiences we bring from our own Congregations and from listening to and working with others. We can see there is a real need for help and support across the area of health and care. Our conversations and scope have included care homes, and caring for and supporting Religious to live independently in Communities, with support, for as long as possible.

We quickly realised that in order to be most effective and provide the real help we know that so many of you need, we would first need to ask for some information in order to be able to prioritise our work and respond to the most pressing needs.

We appreciate that many will be weary of answering questions and responding to requests for information but we ask you for this so that we can be of help to you. We have produced a short survey which we would ask as many of you as possible to complete. Sr Monica will analyse this data on behalf of the group and we will share the information we receive widely with those members who are interested in working with us on these issues. (It is attached to the October CORrespondent).  The next meeting of the Group is on 6th November and we are hoping to be able to discuss the initial responses at that time.