The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures introduced to control the spread of the virus have challenged our identities. We’ve gained labels that change the way we are seen, and the way we see ourselves. Vulnerable. Shielding. Furloughed. Key worker. Carer. Hero. Isolating. Isolated. We’ve lost loved ones. Livelihoods. Connections to the people and places that … Continue reading Identity
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The little things…
So today is apparently random acts of kindness day. Yesterday was national almond day. And on Saturday it’s national love your pet day. Who knew!? But I’m getting distracted now (check out awarenessdays.com for a whole calendar of these days!) I’m not sure I really believe in ‘awareness days’. I love my cat – and … Continue reading The little things…
Better together
“Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020”.Marcus Rashford [1] How far we’ve come since March 2020. And how our story has changed. Back then, cohesion and solidarity dominated our narrative and shaped our behaviour. On 22 March – Mother's Day – Boris Johnson wrote that “this … Continue reading Better together
Words that make me go hmmm: Those
Those who are most vulnerableThose most at risk Those with underlying health conditionsThose over 70 Those in care homes Those who test positive Those hospitalised Those who have sadly died Those. I’ve written already about the ‘them and us’ narrative of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the dangerous consequences of the ‘vulnerable’ label, but there’s one … Continue reading Words that make me go hmmm: Those
Home
“We all want to live in the place we call home with the people and things that we love, in communities where we look out for one another, doing the things that matter to us. That’s the #SocialCareFuture we seek.”Social Care Future [1] We all want to live in the place we call home. It’s … Continue reading Home
The virus and ‘the vulnerable’: have labels cost lives?
Aside from the devastating impact that the Coronavirus pandemic continues to have on lives and livelihoods, it’s also had a significant impact on our vocabulary. New terms like COVID-19, self-isolate and social distancing have been added to the dictionary [1], others have taken on new meaning (lockdown, shielding, zoom..), and yet more have seen a … Continue reading The virus and ‘the vulnerable’: have labels cost lives?
Words that make me go hmmm: Care
Care. We use the term all the time. Care is described in a plan and delivered in a package. Care has a start date and an end date. It comes in episodes. Time frames. Short-term. Temporary. Intermediate. Respite. Long-term. End-of-life. Care has a cost. A fee. An invoice. A payment date. Care has records and … Continue reading Words that make me go hmmm: Care
Them, us and COVID-19
Coronavirus. COVID-19. Virus. Pandemic. Lockdown. Isolation. Distancing. Shielding. PPE. Keyworker. Zoom. Unprecedented. Our vocabulary has evolved over the last few months. Words have taken on a different meaning. Terms we’d rarely used before now dominate the headlines, crowd our screens, and pepper our conversations. We’re experiencing a rapidly evolving, global event which has changed all … Continue reading Them, us and COVID-19
Rewriting social care
I don’t think anyone would dispute that adult social care needs to change. From the perspective of the Government, much of the media, and many think tanks and campaigning organisations, social care reform means people won’t be forced to sell their home to pay for the costs of care. It means free personal care. Better … Continue reading Rewriting social care
Doors, gates and thresholds
I read Wuthering Heights for the first time when I was a teenager. I adored the rugged, wild setting of the Yorkshire moors and the passionate love story at its heart. And I still remember the symbolism of the doors and windows and gates that featured at so many crucial moments of the novel. Thresholds … Continue reading Doors, gates and thresholds
