I love productive meetings. Today was the monthly LISTEN meeting and the leading topics were mentoring and how we wanted to develop long term. We could certainly do with more hands on board, creative and handyman type people, but I love the team we have and I think our personalities and skills compliament each other well.
The committee are currently trialing mentoring at King's on a regular basis - visiting the wards, liver intensive care and the LISTEN Lodges. As part of developing our skills we each have to attend an Educational session run by the pre transplant co-ordinators when patients are told they are being put on the liver transplant list. Patients and their families attend, and they are talked through the period leading up to that "wished for" telephone call to say a possible match has been found - what happens during the transplant - and a little of after too. I was "Educated" a few weeks ago.
Because of the nature of the job, we are around vulnerable people and we take this very seriously. We are lucky to have our very own "in-house" counsellor (just one of many hats he wears) and he (we know who he is!!) attends our visits with us, so we know that what we are doing and saying is correct. We never give medical advice - ever - and we visit to listen and mentor.
To become a Liver Unit Mentor we attend a days training run by the Specialist Social Worker at King's (I took my training in 2008). From meeting and listening to other support groups at liver units around the UK, it seems that we are the only group to be trained.
But as with any "job", you won't be the best unless you continue your training. So we're going to run possibly two days of workshops with talks given by medical bodies within the liver unit, full mentor training and role play etc.. This is for our current mentors and prospective mentors.
Why do this now? Our main focus for 2011 is to develop our relationship with the liver unit. We want to be in a position to offer our mentors more work than they have had and by being a larger presence in the hospital, the hope is that we will.
After just 4 weeks I think we have already been able to mentor around 400% more than previous 4 weeks. There is a lot more to this, but I won't bore you!!
Back home. Landed with a bump. A £65 dentist bill for the kids and £33 pilates bill...
Otherwise back at the ranch, Stav is in France snowboarding, Little N is beeing a teen, Mad Dog is making me laugh and Big A..taking dads absence to antagonise his sister even more... So a usual week..lol..
Tonight, I've had my pilates fix, Glee fix and watched the 2nd part of Waking the Dead. Now watching the American The Apprentice. A fab night of TV for me!!
I will be visiting the King's Charitable Trust on Thursday which is in Waterloo then having my own blood tests at Denmark Hill.
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