Volunteer Speak

Emily Doncaster, our Volunteer from England writes in her Project Visit Report:

"My first impression of Adaikalam was that the general atmosphere of the centre was very positive and that the residents and staff appeared to be relaxed and at ease with one another. I am sure that this sense of calm and wellbeing is a direct result of The Banyan's philosophy to refer to the women as "residents" or "clients" rather than "patients", thus eliminating the negative connotations associated with the latter.

I was impressed with the structure of the centre, for example, having separate dormitories on the two floors to deal with the differing needs of the residents. I feel that this is advantageous in two ways: firstly, it allows residents of a similar level of functioning to support and help each other in their recovery and secondly, by physically moving the woman to a new dorm after she has made notable improvement, this would hopefully act to further emphasize the progress she has achieved, in addition to fostering self-esteem and the belief that recovery is possible.

With regards to how Adaikalam compares to hospitals/shelters I have experienced in the UK, I would say that there are both similarities and differences. There is a similar emphasis in the UK on engaging residents in recreational activities and teaching them life skills to help them cope in society and to reduce the risk of relapse. A criticism of UK hospitals and the healthcare system is that different departments (i.e. occupational health, psychology, doctors, social workers) do not communicate efficiently to the detriment of the clients. People with mental health difficulties can wait for days or weeks to see a psychiatrist/psychologist and then have to wait the same length of time again for a social worker assessment before they can be discharged (especially if they happen to be admitted into general hospitals rather than specialist psychiatric wards). It seems that the communication network in Adaikalam is better maintained, with different specialties working closely together to meet the needs of the residents."