THE DISTANT VOICES

​Working to improve End of Life Care

 

​​THE SCHINDLER TRUST

“There’s a crack, a crack in everything,
that’s how the light gets in.”



On March 31st 2005 after a very public fight to save their daughter's life;  Robert and Mary Schindler lost their battle to allow Terri Schaivo to stay alive. Terri was 42 years old, it took her 13 days to die, she was starved and dehydrated to death. Terri had lived as a disabled person for 15 years, this judgement deprived her and those who loved her, of the right to be a part of her life.

After her death a small group of like-minded people made the decision to honour Terri and her parents by creating a trust in her name and so the SCHINDLER TRUST was born. The very name SCHINDLER echoes down the years to remind us all of the continuing threat to those who are vulnerable. Mary and Robert believed passionately in life’s infinite value, their unshakeable respect for it gives hope to those who have no voice or who struggle to be heard.

To mark this belief, an award has been given for some years now to a medical practitioner who has fought and defied practice that is designed to end lives and deny those, who are seen as different, the ‘right to life.’ There are those who would see the very existence of vulnerable people as a drain on resources, those who would promote euthanasia as a necessity, even ‘a kindness’ this is a dangerous and callous view, we would oppose this in every way possible. THE SCHINDLER TRUST intends to reach out to others who have worked in this way and for the future to publicly recognise a group of people who prefer care to killing. We give you the details here with and hope that you too can celebrate with us the right to live and to be loved and cared for.​





THE ARC OF A MORAL UNIVERSE IS LONG, BUT IT BENDS TOWARDS
JUSTICE.


OUR OBJECTIVE: that which we will do;is to spread the word about how to care, how to respect those in need of our care.

We seek to educate and enlighten those tasked with looking after, or living with people who may be coming to the end of their lives. We seek to promote a civilised, sensitive approach in our care of those who are vulnerable or who are living with a disability.

We need to look at, understand, inform and instruct people in the following
ways:


BRINGING OUR WORK TO THE ATTENTION OF THE PUBLIC:

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  • In collaboration with the media to make public the changes and developments arising from our work.
  • To ensure that the SCHINDLER AWARD is made public via the media.


OFFERING SUPPORT IN THE COMMUNITY:


  • A help-line for legal and medical advice.
  • Hospital visitors who monitor and expose practices that may leave
  • vulnerable patients open to abuse or poor quality care.


WITHIN OR ABOUT, A HOSPITAL OR THE CARE ENVIRONMENT:


  • An online journal recording occasions when medics have gone against their colleagues prognosis to save someone’s life.
  • Life Support Rounds: discussions with colleagues about individual treatment especially to vulnerable people whose life may be at risk.
  • Experts in Action, symposium for like-minded and interested parties.


RESEARCH that aims to give the SCHINDLER TRUST credence and further
grounding in our AIMS, areas may include:


  • The effect on families following a decision to carry out assisted suicide, such as PTSD
  • Looking at the type of person who chooses assisted suicide
  • Suicide contagion.
  • Permanent vegetative states (PVS) myth and truth.
  • Research into the role of nurses and carers, the psychology of care.



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THE SCHINDLER AWARD

You matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life.

You should live until you die.

This very special AWARD is made in recognition of an individual who has engaged in a battle to save a life that has been dismissed as valueless. Through their individual skill they have exposed and made public the right of the person to live and have been instrumental in their survival. They will in the case of medical nominees take into account the oath taken by them that they must aspire to ‘do no harm.’

Their account should describe a situation where an individual was:

  • unable to speak for him or herself
  • denied food and fluids
  • suffering from dangerous neglect
  • regarded as having no quality of life or value to society



The TRUSTEES who have a varied background will consider the following to be nominees:

  • A young doctor
  • An experienced doctor
  • A nurse
  • A lay person
  • An artist
  • A journalist


We sincerely hope that by including other disciplines we send out the message that care is not the province of a few but the duty of all of us as human beings.

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