Name: Liam Mackenzie
Social Justice Group: The Rights of the Elderly
Date of Fieldwork: December 5, 2017
Name of Organization: Skype call
Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles: Yolanda Campbell
Type of Fieldwork: Interview
What I did:
For our second fieldwork our group decided to learn about Palliative care with Yolanda Campbell. After meeting her in Canada, I decided that it would be amazing to do a Skype call with her and our group. Then, after some technology bumps in the road, Yolanda started answering our questions. Her responses were insightful, well thought out, and informative. She told us stories that only someone with her experience could tell, and she helped us understand the under-representation of elders. After calling her and listening to the recording, the hour conversation we had with her was truly amazing. I am 100% certain that our Skype session with her will help us write our future notecards and become more knowledgeable.
What I learned:
Throughout our Skype call we learned that Yolanda creates connections and forms deep bonds with the elders she visits. After answering the question, “Do you form connections with the seniors you visit,” she stated that, “I connect with the patients as much as they are willing to connect with me.” She said that to do her job right, the elders have to meet her in the middle and be willing to converse with her. We learned that Yolanda’s job is more than just taking care of the elders, but creating a friendship that will last until the end of the senior’s life. She said that when she sees someone die she feel honored because being there when somebody takes their last breath is the highest privilege you can have.
What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:
After listening to the recording of our call, we learned that Yolanda does not simply do her job for money or success, but for love and giving back. She explained that the reason she decided to pursue the career has is because of her father. After going through years of his ailment, she attempted to find somebody to keep him company during the day. But nobody seemed to care much about his emotional state of health. After eventually giving up and later finding him dead with nobody to be there for him, she decided to help others going through the same pain as she did. From Yolanda I learned that pursuing a career and doing a job is not just for money and success, but for happiness and harmony. Yolanda took a stand after going through a hard experience with her father, just like our group is taking a stand by facilitating interviews and volunteering.
