Compassionate communities don’t just happen… they are an intentional act by a community of people determined to improve the experiences of everyone in the community, especially those living with serious illness, caregiving, dying or grieving. A compassionate community takes an active role in caring for these people and connecting them to supports; raising awareness about end-of-life issues; and building supportive networks.
Over the course of the process, each community can adapt the definition to best fit their own vision of creating compassion. In BC, the benefit of compassionate communities is double-pronged. First, it can help people living with serious illness and their friends and family with supports around practical needs, wellbeing, loneliness and social isolation. Second, by demedicalizing some aspects of palliative and end-of-life care, increasing pressures on the formal health system are eased.
Universal to all Compassionate Communities (CC) are the development approaches used: looking at the assets already present in the community to harness skills, resources, talents and relationships; mobilizing and connecting families, community members and organizations to work alongside formal services; and working together to develop a plan tailor-made for the community.
| We said that compassionate communities don’t just happen spontaneously, but sometimes they get a spontaneous kick-start into being. In the time of COVID-19, the spirit of “we are all in this together” sparked a multitude of compassionate acts (some even coined the term “care mongering” as a counterpoint to “scaremongering”). The challenge for Compassionate Community supporters is to learn more about the activities in their area, and to find ways to sustain the movement. |
Is that a toolkit in your pocket?…
No matter how committed and passionate local community members are about creating a more compassionate community, everyone needs a little help. BCCPC has developed a comprehensive CC Toolkit to help communities get started and maintain momentum on their journey.
The tools provide a guide for bringing people together, assessing where the community is in terms of compassionate communities, and then offering suggestions for how to move forward:
What is a CC? – Promotional material to raise awareness and inspire participation
CC Ideal – A tool developed to inform, inspire and assist in identifying the features of an ideal compassionate community
CC Index – A survey to assess the strengths, areas needing further work, and overall level of readiness in their community to become a compassionate community.
Handbook for the CC Index – A guide for facilitators to administer the Index survey
CC Action Guide – The guide suggests a variety of activities and project ideas based on the community’s level of readiness regarding the features of an ideal Compassionate Community.
A movement that’s global… and growing
From Catalonia, Spain to Kerala, India, the idea of marshalling communities to promote overall well-being for all members of the community, including those living with a serious illness, caregiving, dying and grieving is taking root. At its most basic, the ideal of people helping people is global.
In Canada, the CC approach to palliative care has already garnered considerable support on a regional, provincial, and national level, establishing the country as a leader of the movement.
Recognizing the power of local organizations’ connections to their communities, BCCPC launched the Seed Grant Program in Spring 2016. The grants provide funding, training, tools and coaching for organizations to start building on CC ideas. To date, 68 projects have been funded in BC, with fully half located in rural and remote areas of BC. Another round of grant funding is currently underway, so the movement in BC continues to grow.
