Hugs From a Distance

Here, Kristina describes her project in her own words:

Working in healthcare I shard enough, but especially right now during a global pandemic a lot of residents and staff are experiencing a lot of tension. I work specifically in a long-term care facility, which means that right now it is not safe for our residents to see the outside world, which include their families. Our residents have become lonely, they have become depressed and anxious. So I wanted to do something that helped the residents know that people are thinking of them, and people are sending their love, even if it isn’t the way they had thought it may be. The action I organized was called, “Hugs From A Distance!” On Christmas morning each resident would find a shawl when they woke up knowing that someone was sending them some love during the holidays. I was really drawing my project from the concept of care ethics. Our textbook states, “There is an earthier way in which we come to care for some of those people close to us. It’s extraordinary in its own way but at the same time totally ordinary, too. Care grows for us and for those with whom we work and act together” (Weston, pg. 246). Health care workers are the epitome of this statement, especially right now in these uncertain times, but also all the time! Our residents care for us grows right now because they are relying on us to help them, but our care for them is also growing because we see them day in and day out and watching how this pandemic is effecting them. “Some key virtues of care ethics include perceptiveness, imagination, and sensitivity; skill in responding and nurturing; patience and creativity; and acceptance” (Weston, pg. 247). I believe that this project encompasses many of these virtues! In a healthcare setting, between you and your residents and other coworkers develop a community, which is a linked set of others with whom we have compelling commonality (Weston, pg. 252). I felt responsible to take care of people in my community that were hurting and better the world in a way that was a little bit closer to home.

Want to organize an activity like Kristina’s? Here are her tips in her own words:

Some tips I would give for future students would be to start much earlier! The earlier you start brainstorming, the much more successful you can be. I would also suggest thinking of activities that make an impact locally in your life. Small scale activities still leave a major impact. As much as it is fun to get a lot of people involved in your activity, sometimes too many people can also cause difficulties. The more people participating in your project, the more people you have to rely on to get it done. This could be a good thing or a bad thing! Lastly, I advise you to create an activity that can keep going or growing. Maybe your project is only a seed to something that can grow much bigger!

Here is the link to Kristina’s Video!!