In the throes of the situation, a new project targeting the elderly “Provision of Protection and Health Services to Elderly in Nahr el-Bared, Beddawi, and Wavel Camps” was launched with the support of the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF). Here's a glimpse into our ongoing efforts.
A Stroke Changed his Life
By working within the Palestinian camps, one gains a profound understanding, particularly through our partnerships, of the diverse needs of the people in these communities. This is how we came to know about Kassem’s case. The once full-of-life, husband, father, friend, and cat lover, is now bedridden.
Kassem Sarhan, 72, with no previous medical history of chronic illnesses, had a stroke that rendered him completely paralyzed, he had to forcibly bid farewell to his previous life. The life of being an early bird, going to the bakery he used to work at near the Beddawi refugee camp sadly vanished.
Kassem, his wife Sahar, and his children reside on the second floor of a building nestled within the confines of Beddawi refugee camp which complicates leaving the apartment, even for a brief respite. Despite this, Kassem's wife acknowledges the unwavering support of their children, who, amid the pervasive financial crisis, contribute significantly in various ways. “Our kids are always around and assist in every means necessary but as the grip of the financial crisis continues to tighten, each day becomes a test of resilience. We had to let go of physiotherapy to secure the necessary medications for my husband, but thankfully he is back thanks to the project” his wife tells us, “We hope he can recuperate movement in his feet and arms”.
His wife then expresses her gratitude for the specialized visits as her husband needs his vitals and medicine regularly checked. “The home follow-up visits make us feel relieved that there is someone who follows my husband's condition, checks and determines whether he needs medical intervention” she continues.
This was Kassem’s third visit where a social worker and a registered nurse visit the beneficiaries to make sure their vitals are stable; the medications are taken on time and in the right order and do a quick physical scan to see if there are any skin ulcers. The project includes recreational activities which Kassem awaits impatiently. “My husband loves people and people love him; I think that the recreational activities will boost his morale” Sahar affirms.
Home Care Visits Feel dedicated
Not so far away from Kassem’s building, we visited Fouad Abed Al-Hafiz of 67 years. Though bedridden after his stroke, Fouad looks sharp and aware of everything, as we enter the living room where he watches the news and sips his cup of tea. From what we sensed Fouad must have been a man with presence and someone who took up space, transitioning from selling produce in the camp, seeing people go up and down the camp, interacting with clients, and hearing what they plan to make with the produce, to being pinned on a bed sure comes with a lot of ache and baggage. This is why he looks forward to the visits especially since he suffers from hypertension, and it needs to be watched.
He is also smitten with the home physiotherapy three times a week. “It’s a change of scenery” he jokes. “I hope the physiotherapy sessions help me to at least stand on my feet and walk and join the recreational activities. My life has been chained to this bed and confined to these 4 walls” he regrettably admits. His family vividly recalls the singular occasion since Fouad got sick, the time they ventured out with him to Beirut. The memory centers mainly around the challenge they faced while attempting to descend the stairs of their apartment, situated on the first floor.
Rapid Response
In the Saffuri alley, of Beddawi camp lives Khadija Mawaad, 84 years old where she waits for the team to visit her with some questions about her case in mind. The team visits her two to three times a week to check her health status. "She suffers from high blood pressure and heart problems that caused edema in her feet affecting her ability to walk, making her steps heavy and little,” says nurse Tawfiq Al-Hadari. After the team explained how movement is vital to her case, she started implementing the team’s advice. “We gave her some exercises to help her blood circulation since she sits all the time, check her basic health indicators, make sure that she takes the required medications on time, and encourage her to walk inside the house as much as possible” the team of nurse and social worker state.
“Thanks to the team’s encouragement I am now challenging myself to walk outside my little home, sit outside, see people walk up and down the street, and converse with my neighbors. It’s good to get my body moving and see people” Kadija tells us. And indeed, it has been very good! Tawfiq testifies that ever since the visits started, he has noticed how Khadija has come out of her shell being more talkative and open.
The “Provision of Protection and Health Services to 720 Elderly Palestinian Refugees in Nahr el-Bared, Beddawi, and Wavel Camps” project supported by the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF), provides home care for the elderly through weekly visits by specialized nurses and social workers, organization of community activities, the provision of mobility aids, physical therapy, and relative coverage of surgical operations.
