Why should a family group consider an Aroha?
Families who have pioneered Aroha may be smaller than average or have few relations living close to the son or daughter who is vulnerable. Forming an Aroha is prudent and can bring peace of mind to the person and his or her parents.
Families do not have to be so short of relations to find an Aroha valuable. One can have lots of cousins and siblings and still like what an Aroha could do. Siblings, like friends, are reassured to share the responsibilities for someone they care about. They are pleased to find that there are others who care and to know that the full burden is not resting on them. Several friends can bring various perspectives and connections to support the focus person’s good whole life.
If you already have a circle of friends or a personal support network (on the PLAN model) it could be better prepared for the future by having the core incorporated with legal powers. Facilitators and community connectors may also learn how to support the formation of an Aroha on the basis of a circle or network.
We use the term family in a wider sense to include people who are not biologically related but have made caring commitments to one another. Entities like Aroha have also been set up around people without families or any kind. In Western Canada, the Microboard has been used to support people coming out of provincial institutions.
When should we form an Aroha?
Ideally, an Aroha could be created around someone who is vulnerable at a fairly early age, so that the person has strong allies in time to help plan adult supports beyond school and advocate for resources.
As a first stage, a circle of friends can be built up around a child or young teenager who seems likely to be vulnerable. They should be dedicated to “listening” to the person and responding to their priorities.
Then as one approaches the end of school the core of a circle or network might be legally incorporated.
Certainly it’s wise to have an active Aroha before taking a bold step like buying a home.
If by chance an older adult has no Aroha when his or her parents are near the end of life, it could still be helpful to form one.
What can an Aroha do for the life of our family member?
The Aroha is important for both the present and future. It is a kind of insurance for the future, after parents die, but it’s more than that! Its purpose is to enhance the quality of life NOW in the belief that a future that grows out of a good present will be more satisfying and secure.
In the longer term, the Aroha can ensure that available resources and supports are used for the individual, in keeping with her/his wishes and needs—now, and into the future, after parents are no longer available or able to remember and take care of all the essential details that are unique in the person’s life plan.
First and now, an Aroha can widen a person’s circle of friends who can offer shared interests and connections that support the best possible quality of life. This is like the general benefits of a circle of friends or personal support network but it can be more. Some circles or networks mainly meet in a group with the person and family. An Aroha friend can have individual one-one-one time and interactions with the person and deepen the friendship. All friends of a person are considered potential members of her/his Aroha who may choose to have more formal roles in the future.
The incorporated Aroha may have 5 or more directors with the legal powers to create and sustain a good whole seamless life. Above all, the Aroha directors listen to the person, use their imaginations to enhance the person’s quality of life, and plan with the person for key transition periods. As an incorporated entity, an Aroha has an enduring life beyond that of family members. In its focus on the individual person, the Aroha can ensure the person’s interests are not subordinated to the interests of agencies or governments.
When given the necessary authority, and in full co-operation with the person, an Aroha may do these things for and with the person:
· Receive funds and take responsibility for their disbursement and accounting—funds that may be from government or family sources.
· Make contracts with employees, independent service providers, professionals, facilitators and agencies that may provide supports to the person.
· Own and maintain property such as the home of the person.
Own and operate business activities that are ancillary to the person’s good life—such as using part of the person’s home to let to a tenant or operating a small business that might include running a vehicle for a delivery service.
· Carry liability insurance
· Exercise Power of Attorney and be parties to a Supported Decision Making Agreement in the areas of Health and Personal Care and Financial and Legal matters.
· Plan for critical transitions as the person’s parents or other relations are no longer able to support them. An Aroha may be given the necessary legal powers to administer family trust funds under the parents’ wills. Aroha directors need to know how to keep everything going in all the matters great and small that make life worth living.
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