Rights Reflections

This will be the section where you can stay up to date with stories, observations and reflections coming out of the projects. We will update these on a monthly basis and hope to show the examples of human rights in practice.

RECOGNITION VERSUS RIGHTS

“We were aiming for a Soil Association award, we really wanted this certificate – however they weren’t going to give us it because we still wanted to have corned beef and black pudding for our residents.  I said, ‘I don’t want it if they can’t have a piece of corn beef’. They gave us an exemption order.”

On the outside, having an award for guaranteeing organic food seems like it would meet the residents’ human rights. However, when their favourite food is not available this is restricting their choice.

MUSICAL MOMENTS

One lady loved it when a group of violinists came into the care home.  This lady was coming to the end of her life, and we decided to arrange for the group to come in and play for her – it was the day before she passed away.  When they were playing we could see a change in the lady, she was trying to sing.  We tend to arrange things like this without thinking about it, perhaps we could ask more – we ask what music people want at their funeral but perhaps not in their final moments (when this is possible). 

Even when someone cannot verbally communicate, observing and analysing how an individual reacts to certain activities gives the person supporting them an idea of what they enjoy and how to make it happen again.