Tell them you miss them
"I miss seeing my nephews, I miss their hugs. I’m really scared that they’re going to forget me at the end of all of this.”
These are the words of Clinical Nurse Manager Avril Keating who works with the Cope Foundation. Avril was speaking as the Cope Foundation launched a novel fundraiser with its #WhoIMiss campaign. The Cork-based organisation supports people with disabilities and is on a mission to keep them connected to the community they are missing during the Covid-19 crisis.
A target of €20,000 has been set to purchase communications devices such as smartphones and tablets for people supported by the organisation so that they can contact their loved ones. Avril continued: “I miss my parents, how I’d love to just sit down at the kitchen table and have a cup of coffee and a chat with them but I’m lucky that I’m able to do it over Skype or Whatsapp and I still get to see them. It’s not the same but at least I get to see them and I’m keeping everybody safe.”
The Cope Foundations says the majority of those it supports don’t have their own smartphone or tablet and are relying on other people to keep them informed and in touch with all the people they are missing.
Elaine O'Connell, Clinical Nurse Manager in Mallow and Kanturk said: “We have come so far when it comes to advocacy and empowering the people we support so that they can live life their way and make choices about their lives – but now, it feels like so much of that is gone. Our residents are relying on staff to make phone calls home and to their friends. A lot of their independence has been curtailed as we cannot get out and about as normal in the community. The visitor restrictions are really challenging for all of us.”
She continued: “It is heartbreaking for our residents, their families, friends and even for us staff who would ordinarily be in a few different centres or locations on a daily or weekly basis. When I was training to be a nurse, a colleague told me that we would spend more time with residents than we would our own families. This is so true. Not being able to see some of the residents at the moment is very difficult.”
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