Every visit of the caregiver, every conversation, every minute spent in the homes of patients and family members visited by the BELhospice team is special. It is filled with emotions and feelings that are difficult to explain in words.
Such moments touch the soul and would make everyone stop and think philosophically about life, its meaning and priorities. However, even in those special moments, there are those who stand out and are worth mentioning.
Invisible and unbreakable bonds are born and created, just as it is the case with the patient Ivanka and our caregiver Verica Despić.
Verica in her home is no longer just someone who came to help, to make her care easier, to make her day a little brighter. Ivanka’s fiance became something more – godmother at the baptism.
“When Verica comes, it’s a holiday for me. She’s so positive. Her smile, her energy and her company mean a lot to me. She’s my son, who does everything around me. The two of us have a nice conversation, we bond, we confide in each other, we share some secrets, we listen to audio books… That’s why it wasn’t difficult to make the decision to be my godmother. The desire to become an Orthodox Christian was a long time ago, and Verica was ideal for that important role. The decision came spontaneously, and to my great joy, Verica accepted that role – says our satisfied user Ivanka.
Ivanka and her family heard about the BELhospice center thanks to their general practitioner from home treatment at the Health Center, five years after Ivanka’s diagnosis. Although with a serious diagnosis, no one had previously mentioned to them that he had the right to palliative care.
“Thanks to our dedicated doctor we heard about you. Before that, no one even mentioned palliative care to us, although we could have called BELhospice earlier. Luckily, we were told you existed. We got in touch with you and got what we couldn’t get anywhere else.” Ivanka’s son said.
In the continuation of the conversation, he mentioned that Ivanka had also stayed in the Homes a couple of times since her illness began, but she did not have a good experience there. On the one hand, she did not want to burden her son, and on the other hand, she could no longer be there either, because the care was not adequate.
Then Verica enters their lives through BELhospice, thanks to which Ivanka has a smile on her face. And not only to her, but to all the team members, who found themselves in the family at different stages and needs. And so it has been a year and a half since our team took care of her.
“Currently, my condition is such that I can no longer move even a little bit. And that’s why every visit means a lot to me. That I have someone to talk to, that my son has a break. It also means a lot to me that you provided us with an anti-decubitus mattress and a wheelchair, that I don’t have wounds on my body from lying down and that I can get up or go to the doctor more easily when necessary, since even that is no longer an easy task. I have become very emotional lately. He often knows that I I’m overcome by depression, which is why caregiver Verice and your arrival mean so much to me, lift me up and open my heart – Ivanka said honestly.
Until her retirement in 2007, she worked at the Sava Center in the cultural sector, admitting that she could not have guessed what she would face later.
“When a person stops working and being in constant contact with people, everything somehow changes, everyone disappears. They don’t call you anymore, they don’t come, and your helplessness overcomes you more and more…” – says Ivanka with sadness and sorrow in her voice.
The help of the BELhospice center for Ivanka and her son is manifold. First of all, because they have someone to rely on.
“When you are dealing with everything that a serious and incurable disease entails, every support is of great importance. You cannot be alone in all of this for a long time. There must be someone who will make it easier for you, someone you can turn to at any time for advice, help and support without a guilty conscience.”
It is sometimes more than anyone can expect. To know that you have someone to call, that they will be there for you and guide you in everything you need to know or who to turn to, if something is not in their power. Thanks to your advice, we also obtained the monetary compensation to which mom is entitled, which we probably wouldn’t have done, because we didn’t even know that we were entitled to it,” concludes Ivanka’s son.
That is why it is important not to wait for palliative care, but to request it immediately after the diagnosis of the phase of a serious progressive disease, when there is still enough time for the patient and family to experience the full support of palliative care.
If you also believe that every person deserves gentle, professional and dignified care in the most difficult moments of life – support our work.
Your donation can bring a smile, relief and strength to a family.
Find out how to help: https://belhospice.org/donirajte-2/