BHP Director Alex Berland recently spent time with members of the care team at Sajida Foundation’s home care program. The program is preparing for a major expansion with more affordable services to support middle-income families who are looking after an elderly relative at home. The purpose of the meeting was to learn from front-line care providers about their experiences serving these vulnerable clients.
One caregiver, Sonia, described her 55-year-old female client who had suffered a major stroke. This client lives in an under-staffed private hospital where she had developed a severe bed-sore due to lack of attention. Sonia was following all the skin care treatments she learned during her training at Sajida. (BHP volunteers initially helped to develop the training program several years ago.) Despite Sonia’s efforts, her client’s bed-sore did not improve. “What could be going on?” Sonia asked herself. She came to suspect a lack of nutrition because the patient, who could not swallow safely, was being tube-fed.
Investigating with the hospital kitchen, Sonia discovered the feeding mixture did not contain the nutrients necessary for wound healing. Once a better mixture was supplied, the client’s wound healed and has not returned. With this problem resolved, the client’s mood improved and with Sonia’s encouragement to mobilize she is slowly overcoming some of the effects of her stroke. What makes this story more impressive is that Sonia is a caregiver, not a registered nurse. However, with her basic training by the Sajida team and on-going guidance from her supervisors, Sonia applied critical thinking to make a significant difference in her client’s life. This example shows the impact of good home care and helps explain why there is such a demand for these services in Bangladesh.
