A new-style family Yomtov
AM MOTHER to 21-year-old Srulik, who lives at a Kisharon supported living home. This is Srulik’s third year in supported living with Kisharon. He is one of 11 young men sharing the house, which is divided into flats but has a central living room and kitchen area, as well as smaller kitchens in each of the flats.
When Srulik moved into Kisharon, it became his main home and the men and support workers became his new extended family. Srulik has been very happy since moving. His house companions really care about each other.
Kisharon will ensure this Rosh Hashanah is special. I believe every day is special for Srulik, as he is well taken care of, in a friendly, family-orientated environment, thanks to Kisharon. Each year we look forward to Rosh Hashanah and this year we plan to spend the evening meals with Srulik, his grandmother and siblings. Under the circumstances of Covid-19 I hope Srulik and I will be able to go to shul during the day. Rosh Hashanah is a time to pray, reflect and be grateful and these things make it special for our family.
During the lockdown, most people at Kisharon supported living chose to stay, rather than go back to their parents’ home, so Yomtov in lockdown was spent without the usual visits to family, friends and shul. This was a positive experience for Srulik, compared to previous years, as Yomtov can be very quiet in supported living, when most of the men stay with relatives.
Covid-19 has created a new normal and this year I know that whether Srulik is at home with his relatives or at home at Kisharon he will be happy and have a family-friendly Rosh Hashanah.
Covid-19 has caused difficulty for many families with children at home and this is always more challenging for families that have children with a disability. When Srulik lived at home, my life revolved around taking care of him. I really needed him to have a set routine, being in school and shul. It would have been extremely difficult to take care of him without those routines and even more so in Covid-19 circumstances. Kisharon has gone above and beyond to ensure supported living was safe in lockdown. Support staff ensured there was much more communication and creativity between the various services and this was reflected in the happiness I could hear in my son’s voice and see in his face. They followed health and safety rules strictly and although this meant fewer faceto-face visits, it also meant more virtual ones and regular telephone updates.
For parents who have children with a disability, my advice is, be kind to yourselves and take one day at a time. Be honest with yourselves about how difficult this time has been and give yourself credit for being mother, father, teacher, carer, support worker, nurse and social worker etc for your child. Plan ahead, so your young people can move to supported living.
To sum up in three words how Kisharon supports me and Srulik I would say: “Home, family and community”. My thanks go out to Kisharon for ensuring Srulik and his Kisharon family have a happy chag and I wish everyone a chag sameach in what may not be a Rosh Hashanah we are used to but can still be a meaningful and special one.
Parents, be kind to yourselves and take one day at a time’
kisharon.org.uk
*Michelle prefers to omit her surname