Care for each other
By Bestuur on
For that, we need courage* since it is not always easy. Mental health care, for example, has to contend with long waiting times for people with complex problems. Since the introduction of market forces, space has been created for new healthcare providers to supposedly reduce costs in the long run. Now, we are in South Limburg with many healthcare providers. But that didn’t lead to earlier treatment for people with serious problems, on the contrary, it led to longer waiting lists. Partly because of this, we ask too much and offer too little to people who lack care.
And in that case, a good neighbor is more useful than a distant friend. But if that’s the case, that good neighbor must be supported and facilitated. If we are talking about people’s support networks, we should also give attention to the unequal distribution of care. More often we see that women are informal caregivers and provide unpaid labor. We want to ensure that there is a more equal distribution and that men can more easily take on care responsibilities.
Lastly, there are also major steps to be taken when it comes to knowledge and skills for specific groups such as LGBTI+ or neurodivergent people. We believe that together we can overcome these obstacles. So that everyone gets the right care and attention.
*M:OED translates to courage