Community Care: The Ethics of Care in a Residential Community

ABSTRACT

This article explores the relationship between ‘care’ and ‘community’ in the context of a residential community established to offer hospitality and support to people with addictions, mental health problems and other troubles. The community is located in a rural part of England and was established as a Christian community offering hospitality to people of all faiths or none. The source of data is oral history interviews conducted at the time of the community’s 60th anniversary. Feminist care ethics is used to offer an analysis of what constitutes care in this setting, as well as to explore insights into caregiver/care receiver relationships and the specific nature of responsibility in this context. The significance of both place and the non-human elements of the community (animals, cultivated land) are considered, as well as the importance of time in relation to daily and seasonal rhythms of community life. The article suggests that care for the community is necessary to sustain care for members of the community and that this offers a valuable different perspective from an emphasis on individualised care.

KEYWORDS:

• Residential care
• community
• ethics of care

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Marian Barnes is retired and holds an emeritus title at the University of Brighton. She previously worked at the Universities of Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield. She is well known for her research into user involvement, user movements and public participation. More recently her work has focused on the ethics of care, ageing and wellbeing.

Notes

1 There is not space here to consider the significance of faith in relation to care at Pilsdon. Christian faith both motivates and sustains members’ involvement. I do not share that faith and my aim here is to explore a care ethical analysis that does not necessitate a faith perspective.