Health Care

Home Care for the Vulnerable

To help, Red Cross is delivering life-saving services to many in their homes through mobile health and social service teams. Volunteers are an essential part of this program assisting with cleaning, cooking and other supports.

The Canadian Red Cross is providing funding and a home care specialist in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to help revitalize the home care program and strategically plan for the future. In 2002, Red Cross will serve 7,000 beneficiaries who would otherwise be without critical care.

Dr. Sandra Allaire, Health Care Delegate

Dr. Sandra Allaire is no stranger to international work. Since 1993, she has been a Red Cross international delegate working in Ukraine, Arctic Russia, Baltic States, Iraq, United States, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and most recently Vojvodina, a province in the north of Serbia. "And I would be happy to go out again," she says.

Her mission in Vojvodina was to evaluate the pilot phase of the Home Care Programme, a project of the Serbian Red Cross. Beneficiaries are elderly, have a low income, not receive aid from any other program aid and have no other family members around to help - an all too real situation for many of the internally displaced and refugees from the conflict in the early 1990s. "Because the social structure has been drastically eroded, there are many elderly and needy people who urgently need home care to help with everyday living."

But the program is about more than helping with everyday living. A variety of services are available to poor, elderly members of the community - from light housekeeping, to gardening, and walking the blind to community events. "It is an overwhelming task to train and implement this program," she said. "But promoting socialization is the biggest single benefit to the elderly – often it makes all the difference in the quality of their lives."

As a result of the program, strong links are formed between the elderly recipients and the younger volunteers as many home care volunteers are youth. Home care recipients are matched with youth volunteers who have similar interests. In several pilot sites, the elderly recipients of the program are training their volunteers in what was once their trade – knitting, for example – which is fulfilling for both the recipient and the volunteer.

During Allaire’s mission, she looked at the objectives and achievements of the program, specifically considering the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. "There is an increasing demand for home care in communities all over the country," Allaire said. "Now we must look at how to take the program into other needy areas."

Rebuilding After 10 Years of Conflict - Serge Gaudreau's story

Place Caption here.

Gaudreau’s work in FRY involved many diverse programs, representing the unique components of Red Cross assistance. He started as a project manager for the surgical supply program – providing 40 local hospitals with syringes, bandages, sutures and other necessary items so doctors could perform as many as 2,000 emergency operations. Gaudreau also helped set up mobile medical clinics in the Ground Safety Zone (GSZ), a security area established between Serbia and Kosovo. These clinics help provide a life line to the region’s most vulnerable – the elderly, women and children. Gaudreau treated more than 2,000 patients in remote villages which were cut off from access to medical services. He also supervised the "12 Humanitarian Pharmacies" project which provided free prescription drugs to internally displaced people, refugees and other needy people. Finally, he visited prisoners at seven major places of detention, ensuring that their medical needs were met.

Although a new government was elected in October 2001, the path towards stability is still a long and bumpy one. After more than 10 years of conflict, FRY remains a country with enormous humanitarian needs. The importance of the Red Cross’ continued support is clear. While on a visit to some of the elderly people living in the GSZ, Gaudreau realized how truly traumatized these people were. They cried and spoke of years where hunger, fear and death were a normal part of their normal life. "When a local doctor who accompanied me on my visit to the GSZ, thanked me for the contribution from the Red Cross, I knew the program was worthwhile and meaningful for the people who had been through so much," said Gaudreau. "Many of the people had tears in their eyes when we left their village. We could only console them by promising to return the following month."

Gaudreau truly enjoyed working in FRY. He credits the long suffering, resilient people in FRY and other countries where he has worked, with teaching him valuable life lessons. "People in these countries have taught me more about humanity and giving than I ever expected," concludes Gaudreau as he ponders his next mission abroad.

See the photo galery .