Dear Editor,
I am a volunteer at Ashcroft’s Extended Care. It has a very fine staff and it is a well-run institution. The clients (patients) feel at home there. One of the reasons they feel at home is because they are able to share a cup of tea or coffee with their visitors. They are used to providing hospitality in their former homes. If I decline a cup of tea, they immediately want to give me their own cup of tea. When I still say “No, thanks,” they become uneasy.
I don’t need a cup of tea, but the patients need me to accept one. In some cultures, turning down food is an insult.
Interior Health: please don’t insult our beautiful people in our lovely, well-run, and caring facility.
The Revd. Canon Lois Petty
Ashcroft