The source of the suffering of frail and homebound people and those family members, friends, neighbors and professionals who care for them is weak communities and the resulting poverty, isolation and devaluation.
In communities, interactions are mutual. People sustain, care, lament enjoy, struggle, play, learn and work with each other.
Communities become weak when more and more interactions become one-way. People become frozen in primarily active or passive positions. They do to and for each other, rather than with each other. People suffer the ravages of poverty, isolation and devaluation in either position.
Devaluation occurs as people value themselves and others only for their possessions—what they have and what they make. Isolation and poverty follow. For instance, the frail elderly, no matter how active and engaged they once were, find that others do not value them because they are no longer productive. They become passive objects that others take care of and help. People don’t see them as being able to care for or help others. Because others see them primarily as empty vessels into which they pour time, energy and resources, these others tend to neglect them. The frail elderly thus often become isolated. And, unless they have large amounts of money and often even if they do, isolation results in impoverishment; too often, they do not have enough food, their clothes wear out, their homes become cluttered and dangerous and their health deteriorates.
But these ills also afflict those stuck in the active position. For instance, those who care for the frail elderly—family members, friends, home care aides, social workers and health care workers—learn two lessons. First, their value lies only in paid jobs. People who have to give up paid work to care for their frail spouses, partners, parents, children or friends face impoverishment, isolation and devaluation along with those they care for. For instance, in Manhattan, many such people live with and spend all or almost all of their time and resources on the one they care for. Second, even if they are paid for their work, as are home care and social workers, they get paid poorly, precisely because they are taking care of people society does not value. They thus constantly face the threat that, with illness or the loss of a job, they will slip into poverty and the resulting devaluation and isolation.
A community-organizing model addresses poverty, isolation and devaluation by addressing their cause, weak communities.
Community Organizing Principles
1. Community: We only live and thrive in communities in which we sustain each other. We alleviate suffering by strengthening our communities, by pulling people together to share their abilities and to address their needs and suffering.
Thus, for instance, when addressing the suffering of the frail elderly and those who care for them, begin by mapping the communities in which these people dwell, by locating where the frail elderly and those who care for them are and where the community resources—the stores, banks, community centers, religious communities, agencies, informal gathering places—are.
2. Mutuality: All of us, including those of us who are professionals have needs, and all of us, including the frailest elderly person, have resources—abilities, time and material goods. It’s only by sharing our resources to meet our needs that we can alleviate suffering. We work together, in mutuality.
The second step in community organizing is to map these resources and needs. Begin with resources. Who has what abilities, time and material resources? Where does this person with this resource live or work and is he or she mobile or not? Then look at needs. Who has what needs and where does he or she live or work? Remember, as you do this, that each person has both resources and needs. Finally, link people with needs up with people who have the complementary resources. For instance, a homebound retired English teacher and a teenage immigrant who is struggling with English might be able to help each other out.
3. Sustainability: Maintain, strengthen and build sustainable, long-term patterns of interaction. In a crisis, turn first to people and resources that are already in the community and will be in the community no matter what. Avoid, when possible, creating dependency on programs and resources that can (and often are) vulnerable to being withdrawn at any time. Focus, when possible, on maintaining, strengthening and building intergenerational, interfamilial, intergroup and interclass ties. Such ties tend to be sustainable. Focus on maintaining, strengthening and building long-term multi-dimensional friendships and associations. For instance, the immigrant teenager and the retired English teacher have such a sustainable association, build on companionship and learning.
4. Responsibility: Responsibility for the maintenance, strengthening and building up of the community lies with the community. For service agencies and professionals, this principle requires a relinquishment of responsibility. The focus of an outside professional is to facilitate the community taking responsibility for addressing the suffering of its members. This principle has a significant implication for how to name or think of those who actively participate in community work. They are not “volunteers” “supervised” by “professionals.” Rather, they are “citizens,” members of the community who are taking responsibility for maintaining, strengthening and building up their community. Thus, the responsibility for coordinating communal activities should rest with community members organized into committees and the like.
5. Openness: A community thrives when it is open to the full participation of anyone. A member is someone who is willing to participate. If someone seeks to participate in the community, the focus should be on how best to facilitate that participation, not on whether or not that person should participate. Similarly, openness applies to information and skills, which should be shared openly and not restricted to certain people who are deemed “qualified” to use the information and skills.
Comments