Compassionate Concern and Change

At the building where I work, we recently had our parking lot re-paved and re-lined.  The process took two days, during which time our staff--and our residents who have cars--were not able to park in the lot.  Arrangements were made for off-site parking for them, as well as transportation for those who might have difficulty walking from the off-site parking lot to our building.  Most of the residents who had to park elsewhere during this time did not seem to be upset or put out by this temporary inconvenience, but there were a few of them who made known their dismay at having to do this.

Service Coordinators in public housing, as well as others who provide care and services to the elderly and disabled, may become frustrated at times when the people we serve react adversely to changes that occur in their environment.  Perhaps they are upset because their routine visit from a family member has been changed, or a common area in the building is temporarily closed, or even because we were unavailable to help them for a couple of days and they feel we have let them down.  We might wonder why there is such resistance to changes that seem to us so temporary or insignificant.  But when you think of such situations in terms of loss and limitation, I think it puts them in a whole new perspective.

Many of the individuals we serve have suffered many losses--of their spouses and other loved ones, their homes, their work, and numerous other losses one could name.  They continue to experience loss and limitation due to illness, lack of mobility, and limited financial resources.  Also, a number of them are anxious and/or depressed.  Viewed in this light, I think there is little wonder that certain individuals are disturbed by anything that disrupts what little control of their lives they still feel they have.  Minor or temporary changes may not seem minor to them.  I think we need to remember that.  Although we cannot prevent most of these changes from happening, we can show consistent concern for those we serve by placing ourselves in their shoes and responding with compassionate support.  In a world where change is inevitable and sometimes very threatening, such concern can make a big difference to people who are struggling just to make it through the day.