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ivy angerer award
Students stand up for rights A rescue from isolation experienced “care” and, most importantly,
It was evident that he had not
Runner-up: Evan Howle
friendship. How much of a struggle it
magine your life if it was void of any must be if when you’re sad, lonely and in
emotional connection to another need of comfort you feel that nobody is
Iindividual. If your life suddenly became there to provide it to you.
absent of friends, family or loved ones. I would lead by example in the team,
You existed in isolation from the rest of spending extra time to interact with
society. Every interaction with another him, learning his likes and dislikes over
was clinical, and governed by a set of time, and sharing my own. To me, this
written rules which separated you from was important.
the group of people around you. Every How is it possible to understand
interaction was predetermined and its someone’s world without being willing to
appropriateness questioned. For so many share your own? It is by allowing the
individuals in care, this is the life that they merger of both that we can truly provide
have been forced to live. care which is individual, and full of
Regardless of profession, professional empathy and understanding.
boundaries are an essential part of the But the biggest changes were a result of
toolkit. They ensure care is appropriate, Evan Howle: “How is it possible to understand advocating for changes to those
safe and protects people from harm. someone’s world without sharing your own?” professional boundaries, making changes
Unfortunately, They also create risk-averse to care plans to give him the option to ask
interaction and the danger of isolating professional boundaries became much his staff for a hug when he was sad. Staff
people through the very care we are more rigorously enforced. who over time had become part of his
supposed to provide. I recognised that it was a cycle of world rather then existing outside of it.
behaviour from everyone. He had become It allowed him to express his emotions,
Solitude and boundaries used to the isolation, and utilised his and feel safe about doing so. It did not
I had the privilege of meeting a man who behaviour to communicate his needs, which undo all of his past experiences, but
had been in different care systems for the had led to him becoming isolated further. I sought to change his future experiences.
majority of his life. felt the pattern needed to be broken. Over time, he developed positive
He struggled with voicing his thoughts It was important to reiterate to others relationships with his peers, which resulted
and feelings, and this manifested itself that his behaviour was not challenging, in beneficial friendships. He slowly moved
quickly in aggressive behaviour towards and instead it was just communicating away from seeking emotional support
others or his environment. He would behaviour expressing his confusion, fear from the staff team, as he had given
isolate himself, and showed difficulty in or needs to the situation. That was the himself a wider network of support which
communicating with others; this led to first major step in presenting any realistic he felt he could receive it from. One which
the staff team around him having a fear of change – advocating for him to encourage he now viewed as his family. n
his potential behaviour, which would limit the staff to take the time to really observe
the interaction he received, due to a fear and listen to why he presented with the Evan Howle is a second-year applied nursing
for their own safety or wanting to limit communicating behaviours so they would (learning disabilities) and generic social
the distress it would cause. Those understand his needs. work student at Sheffield Hallam University

Competition in remembrance of Ivy Angerer

he Life Worthy of Life The competition judges About Ivy Angerer
competition was set up were: Gabby Machell, Ivy Angerer was born in 1911
Tin memory of Ivy chief executive of the in Scotland to German/
Angerer, a young woman Westminster Society for Austrian parents. Early photos
murdered by the Nazis in 1940 People with Learning of Ivy show she was loved.
because she had a learning Disabilities, who sponsored a Her story shows the
disability. Her story was told in cash prize for the winner; terrible consequences that
our autumn 2019 issue. Helen Atherton, lecturer in can transpire when people
The judges were impressed nursing at the University of with learning disabilities are
by the commitment shown by Leeds and co-author of the seen as less than human.
the student nurses not only to research on Ivy Angerer; and At the age of 20, she was
promoting the rights of the Simon Jarrett, editor of admitted to the Am Steinhof
people they worked with but Community Living. psychiatric hospital in Vienna
Community Living
also to standing up to be sponsored a free one-year and categorised as a “high- Under the regime, around
Angerer family archive on the line when they felt subscription and the was killed as part of Aktion T4 problems or other disabilities
grade” imbecile.
70,000 adults with learning
counted, putting themselves
disabilities, mental health
Later, at this hospital, she
that another person’s rights
publication of the articles for
were murdered in 1940-41.
both winner and runner-up.
were at risk.
Nazi euthanasia programme.
www.cl-initiatives.co.uk Community Living Vol 34 No 1 | Autumn 2020 23