P R E F A C E

 

 

THE STORY: A LIGHT FOR THE COMMUNITY

 

As every editor knows, the personal context and dimensions of any story is important to  understand the reality of any situation. The mere recitation of cold impersonal facts and statistics often leaves the reader with more questions than answers. The best story is one that incorporates the facts with the personal story -- with each part illustrating the other. Yet, when it comes to community needs assessments, our traditional methods for understanding and communicating community needs have been focused solely on objective realities of quantitative research and statistics.

 

This study attempts to rectify that shortcoming and merge the qualitative and quantitative approaches into one integrated process.

 

The tool used to gain insights into the personal dimensions of these public issues was the transcribed focus group story. People experiencing the problems defined by our “critical issues” were involved in small focus groups and asked to share their experiences with the larger community.

 

For example, the number one Community Critical Issue (identified through 1999 Critical Issue Survey, Vanderburgh County) is:

 

“In home services for elderly who want to remain independent”

 

The following is a summary of one person’s story dealing with this issue:

 

Ada is a widowed 80-year-old who lives by herself in an apartment. She has arthritis and other pains, but has a very positive outlook on life. She had a number of children, and when a daughter died she ended up raising her 3 children as well. Her 61-year-old son has cerebral palsy and vision problems. At a young age, the doctors said his vision problems were irreparable and he would soon be blind – although he can still see today. She recounts the trials and joys of caring for this son -- “He was a gift from God”. He had surgery to assist spinal problems and was then able to sit upright in his char. When she saw him, “It was like looking into the gates of heaven”. She recounts with obvious joy how the other son would race him around in his wheelchair, both laughing, playing, bouncing off the curb, and obviously posing the danger of falling, but how she loved his brother not treating him like an invalid. Her husband drove a semi truck and was gone a lot. He died in 1985. She recalls how the disabled son had a weak relationship with the father, even though he cried when the father passed away because “He just loved sitting in those semis”. Ada is concerned about the son’s continued independence. He is living in a group home now and works in a sheltered workshop, a job that  he loved. Ada recently had a home health aide come help her with some living chores. The aid was about the same age as her and really appreciated the way in which she “helped”. More like a friend and not a client. Unfortunately, the lady did not last long. Ada has some physical pain primarily from her arthritis, but does not dwell on it. She is concerned about what will happen if her condition worsens. She doesn’t want to be a burden to her other children, even though they are willing to take her in. She is very independent and wants to remain that way. She is not comfortable asking for help. Ada also has a very strong faith in God and her religion and spirituality appear to be a source of comfort and strength. She still enjoys social activities, although transportation is an obstacle (she doesn’t drive anymore). She is concerned about HMO’s and the cost of medication. She appreciated the opportunity to share her story.

 

This story summary crystallizes the dimensions of the “critical issue” identified through the community survey: the desire for independence and not becoming a burden on one’s loved-ones, the insight that health and independence are often associated with one’s feelings of worth and value to someone or to the community, and the challenge to the service community of providing care as a friend rather than a client. All important factors to understand and appreciate when designing plans to address the issue of elderly independence.

 

Stories such as these were incorporated into the planning process for the 1999 – 2000 Comprehensive Community Assessment. They provided the qualitative understanding of the issues involved and helped to focus our planning discussions on the personal realities of community needs.

 

The planning process also included an analysis of the national and local research in order to understand the personal stories in a larger context of objective scientific research. Were the stories we heard typical of people in similar situations? Or were they biased due to the small sizes of the groups and not truly representative of those in the need category? The national and local research provided this context. In almost every instance, the stories reviewed did exhibit some aspect of the objective reality of the need. There was question, however, whether the stories told “the complete story”, and this is a legitimate critique. The subcommittee members considered these limitations when discussing the implications of the personal stories and in the development of the strategic plans to address the defined community issue.

 

The final result of this analysis and planning was the development of a community strategic plan contained within what was called a “Logic Model”. This model is a community plan of action for addressing the most critical issues identified by the community through the 1999 Critical Issue Survey.

 

Ada’s story, and others like hers, helped the Elderly & Disabled Subcommittee define two (2) community outcomes:

 

  1. Elderly and disabled live in home environment of their own choosing;
  2. Elderly and disabled remain/become actively engaged and connected to community.

 

Included in this document are the stories and products of this community planning exercise. It contains the summaries of personal stories and the products of the over 600 people involved in the strategic planning exercise.

 

Information and plans were developed around nine (9) areas of strategic development:

 

1)      Children (focusing on child abuse and neglect);

2)      Teens (focusing on teenage pregnancy, sex and parenthood);

3)      Family (focusing on improving the quality of family life);

4)      Elderly & Disabled (focusing on independent living for elderly and disabled);

5)      Health (focusing on substance abuse among youth and elderly);

6)      Self-Sufficiency (focusing on the desire for self-sufficiency);

7)      Livable Neighborhoods (focusing on ways to make our neighborhoods more livable);

8)      Warrick County (focusing on substance abuse among youth);

9)      Spencer County (focusing on at-risk youth);

 

The information, data and stories provide an invaluable guide to United Way and the Funding Partners to assist in their strategic planning processes and deciding how best to invest in community services and strategies.

 

The study also serves the larger community interest of better understanding community needs and resources, and how we can use this information and understanding to better organize our community and improve the quality of life in Vanderburgh, Warrick and Spencer counties.

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