DEATH WITH DIGNITY

At its June 2012 meeting, the NASW MA Chapter Board of Directors voted to support the Death with Dignity Ballot Initiative which will  appear  on the  November 2012 Ballot.  After close scrutiny, comprehensive research, thorough discussions and presentations from opponents and proponents of the initiative, the Board sided with the proponents.   The basis for this decision lay in Social Work’s principles of self-determination, patient choice and autonomy.  Massachusetts is now the 4th NASW Chapter in the country (after Hawaii, Oregon, Washington State and Montana) to support the Death with Dignity Initiative.

Carol J. Trust

Movies, Social Work and Living with Incompleteness

I see lots of movies. Lots and lots: thrillers, dramas, action and foreign films. I used to prefer those movies that ended happily and were preceded by a degree of crying (mine).  There was a resolution of a problem, unhappiness a sad situation.  More recently, I have been seeing a different kind of movie, where there is no resolution.  The audience is left without the happy ending. In fact, the audience is left with suggesting or predicting the resolution themselves.

 I saw this in the Iranian movie, ‘The Separation’ where the movie ends with the parents waiting outside the courtroom for a decision to be made by the authorities and the parents have no more say in the final decision.  Then there is the Israeli move, ‘Jaffa’, where two teenagers, an Israeli girl and a Moslem boy fall in love.  Their plan to run away is stopped by the boy’s involvement in a shocking and totally unexpected crime that puts him in prison for years.  What happens to these two young lovers and the child they conceived is unknown by the end of the movie. We are left wondering and equally frustrated by what appears to be an impossible position for both the young people.

And what does this have to so with Social Work, you may ask?  More and more, I see our work, whether it is child welfare, prisons, private practice, homelessness, substance abuse etc.  as having no clear resolution.  We give our best: struggling to help a suicidal patient deal with his sense of hopelessness, encouraging and providing resources to parents accused of abuse and neglect,  or mobilizing a community to address gang violence in the neighborhood.  And often, we cannot see the results.  Certainly not right away or in some cases, in months and years ahead.  We cannot predict or be sure of the results of our efforts, even in the face of the trend to ‘measure’ our work. We may not be able to stop a chronic alcoholic from continuing her drinking habit or lower the rate of gang violence or even prevent the person living with incredible shame and hopeless from suicide.  The cynic’s voice in us says this is thankless work.  And yet, we continue doing the work, employing all the skills, intuition and resources we can muster.  It’s what we do.  It is what we are committed to.  And often we don’t know the ultimate outcome. We just may not be around to see it.  We may leave the position to move out of state, or to seek further education, or to take advantage of a new job opportunity.  Our work is often like the unfinished movies above.  However, what we can say is that we did our best, we devoted ourselves to the work, and we did not give up.  And the outcome may be unknown.

Carol J. Trust

ON THE WILD SIDE

Last week, Maurice Sendak, author of many children's books, including my favorite, 'Where the Wild Things Are', died. As I read a review of his life in one of the local newspapers, I was struck with how thoughtful his story messages were. And that I may have missed them when I read them to my own daughter, who is now in her twenties.  He wrote about the dark side of life, children's fears, their frustrations with parents and their sense of powerlessness. And as I read further in the article, I became aware of another theme in his writing that has relevance to social work practice.

In his book, "We Are All in the Dumps," he pictured two quasi ruffian homeless kids, Jack and Guy, who found another orphaned boy they initially had planned to bully and overpower.  As the story evolved, the two boys decided that rather than rough up the homeless tyke, they would take him back to their cardboard shanty to care for him.

At first, the sad story of homelessness, hunger and poverty seemed overwhelmingly cruel and hopeless- a moral atrocity for a society that would allow kids to live on the street in poverty. However, reading on was another message--the message of kindness and caring in the face of a societal outrage.  Jack and Guy were, indeed, still on the streets, on their own, no money, no home but their kindness shown through.

What does this mean for social work whose dual mission is to support social workers and the profession, as well as to address the causes of homelessness, poverty and vulnerability? As we all focus on this dual mission throughout our work, in so many settings, that we often do not see the results of our efforts- that there has been no cure or resolution to these societal injustices. However, what is clear is that we continue to work toward solutions; in counseling sessions with our clients, with families facing homelessness and poverty and in the State House with legislators and administrators who are charged with bringing solutions.  This is the Jack and Guy in all of us--the caring and kindness, as well as our dedication to changing systems that are not so kind.

Farewell, Maurice Sendak.  Your books are for all of us.

Carol J. Trust

MOTHER'S DAY: HURUMPH!

Well, it's over--the big hullabaloo surrounding this special day devoted to Mothers. Thank you.

 When I was younger, I remember looking forward to Mother’s Day.  My Dear Mom was a special lady--dramatic, overweight, stylish and tough.  Somehow, we made the Day fun.  My Dad was in a special mood and my sister and I had shopped for a gift that we thought Lil needed and would like.  (She needed nothing and she loved everything that we chose.) There was’automaticity’ to the day.  And i did not think about what it was about other than we were going to have some fun.

And now, many years later, why is this day so burdensome to me?  What is this questionable response?  Here is what I have come up.  I want my family to see every day as Mother's Day. Really.  That the appreciation and fondness that is bestowed on May 13th to me is spread throughout the year, every day. Don't bother looking for a greeting card that conveys a sentiment that is felt every day.  Tell me every day!

And what has this to do with social work and NASW, Massachusetts?  I am looking at  a perspective about life, a way of being --  not just for Mother's Day, but for every day. Do I show my appreciation to my family, my staff, members of NASW the MA Chapter, who count on the chapter to support them, promote them, and represent them?  Mother's Day is a reminder for me to say thank you to all the people in my life-family, staff and social workers who chose NASW, MA Chapter to stand up for them.   Just as I want my family to have Mother's Day special every day, I want to say thank you to my staff and members of NASW for all that you do, every day, during the year: for your involvement, your encouragement, and your dedication to the people  you serve and work that you have chosen.

My Hurmphf has dissolved.

Carol J. Trust

BOTHER ME. PLEASE.

Today I received another one of those calls where the person calling expressed surprise that she connected to the Executive Director, (even though it is I whom she dialed.) Followed by profuse apologies for bothering me and explanations that she had hoped to just leave a voice message.  I find these calls quite amusing. It is as if people are calling the State House and Governor Patrick answers the phone. I am honored and delighted by the comments. And I have a message for you, Dear NASW members.

BOTHER ME.  PLEASE.  I want you to call me. I want to hear from you about your concerns, your complaints, your compliments, your ideas, your observations, your wonderings. You are the lens into what is going on in the field.  You keep us informed, alerted, on our toes.  As much as we keep are eagle eyes vigilant, we do not always hear as quickly as you do: when the Medicare rates go down, when you heard a great Continuing Education program that you feel the chapter should know about; when your field placements are not working out as you wanted them to; when you know of a whole new category of social work jobs are being offered (as was just announced by the Veterans Administration;) when an outstanding non social worker employer again, stood up for the social work department of its large agency, when the agency was forced to reduce its workforce.  The list goes on.

So, PLEASE, call (my favorite form of communication,) write, email or fax. I so appreciate hearing from you.   And then call again. I need your information, your knowledge, your professional insights.

Mi telefono es su telefono.

Carol Trust

Death With Dignity

Our Chapter has been asked to support a ballot initiative called “Death with Dignity.’ The proponents and the opponents presented their sides of the issue to The MA Chapter’s Board of Directors.  The Board discussed and discussed and then decided to withhold taking any action at the April meeting, pending further research into the issue.  My staff was asked to talk with NASW Chapters in the three states (Oregon, Washington State and Montana) that had passed the initiative into law, to see what the ramifications were.

This is one of the many fascinating subjects that the Chapter is often asked to take a position on.  Initial review of “Social Work Speaks”, the compendium of public policy statements that the National Board and the Delegate Assembly has approved has no specific policy on the subject, although several of the policy statements refer to a basic principle of the profession.  And that is to support an individual’s right to choose, to support individual’s right for autonomy.

The MA Chapter Board will be taking up the issue at its June 2012 Board meeting.  And I welcome our member’s views on the subject. You can find out more about the issue by visiting the following websites: http://www.dignity2012.org/ (proponents) and http://www.second-thoughts.org/ (opponents).

Thank you,

Carol J. Trust

BEING EXTRAORDINARY

This weekend was a double whammy day: Easter Sunday and Passover Week.  And there are probably important sports events happening that I have minimal interest in. (Sorry my sports fans colleagues.)  Although I did get interested in the recent series of games featuring the top College Basketball teams.  And as I wonder why, I see that I am interested in what makes 'excellent', 'superb', and extraordinary.  The top two team players would certainly hold all those adjectives. Fabulous individual and team playing, superior strategy and high level accuracy.

Most of us would never make it to these teams whether they were senior varsity, or National level or Olympic category.  We are not there. However, we do have the capacity to have extraordinary lives  in very simple ways.  What makes one extraordinary?  Well, there are lots of features.  I am taking a course now that has presented a variety of elements that cause and extraordinary life.  The one that comes to me now has to do with being courageous.  This does not mean that one is fearless.  Rather it has to do with acknowledging your fear and acting anyway.  This could be in an athletic event, in speaking out at a community or school meeting or even, calling up the managed care organization or insurance company that you are having trouble getting authorization for a seeing a client.  All the voices in your head (I'll have to wait to long to speak with someone, when I finally speak to someone, that person will deny me, or if I raise a question, I may get kicked off the panel.)   Being courageous is not just something we work with our clients to develop. It is for us- the professionals that our clients  count on and for us as individuals with great dreams of having extraordinary lives, as professional social workers, parents, neighbors, relatives.

How many times do we yield to that voice in our heads that says, "Don't be a fool, they will never say yes, or you don't have enough money, or time, or intelligence to do that, or 'they will say no."

This is a call to listen to that  negative voice, thank it for speaking up, and then go forward with what you originally intended to do before the voices took over.

This is part of being extraordinary.

Carol J. Trust