General information
| Name | Le Thi An |
| Year of birth | 1936 |
| Gender | Female |
| Family circumstance | Mrs. An is single, living alone. She has no family, children, poor health, lives in a dilapidated small house, and is no longer able to work to generate income. She has a social allowance for people with severe disabilities (VND 1,200,000/month), but she does not have enough money to buy medicine and cover her monthly living expenses. |
| Health status | Has poor health, difficulty walking, frequent sickness and no working ability. She has to lie in one place, unable to work and take care of herself when she was in severe pain. Due to old age and illness, her health became weaker and weaker, leading to her difficulty walking. Her daily activities require a lot of support from others. |
Support from The Inter-generational Self-Help Club (ISHC)
Social care and personal care
In April 2022, Thuan Nhat ISHC was established, the club’s management board immediately deployed to review the cases that needed help and set up a home-care volunteer team. Understanding the difficult situation of Mrs. An, based on the actual needs, after discussing and agreeing with her, the club sent 3 volunteers, Mrs. Hoang Thi Ly – 57 years old, Mrs. Le Thi Ha – 61 years old and Mrs. Hoang Thi Vu – 71 years old, came to take care Mrs. An. The volunteers are also those who live near her house, so they will actively assign each other to arrange their time to support Mrs. An.
Every 1 to 2 days, Mrs. Ly, Mrs. Ha and Mrs. Vu take turns to help Mrs. An with tasks such as chatting, confiding, sharing village stories, washing clothes, buying food and cooking, helping to exercising, massaging and taking her to medical facilities to check and get medicine.
Received volunteer caring not only helps her a lot in her daily life, but also helps her feel less lonely, feel the care of her neighbors, thereby making her life less lonely and more joyful.
Life care
There were months when she was sick a lot, the amount of social allowance was not enough to help her cover daily costs, buy medicine and food, the volunteers reported to the club’s management board and proposed. The club’s management board mobilized club members and benefactors in the village to support her with rice, food, and cash so that Mrs. An’s life would be less difficult, had enough medicine to maintain her health.
Health care
In May 2022, ISHC started implementing health care activities and provided volunteers with blood pressure monitors, blood glucose meters, and health care, support and rehabilitation equipment. In every semi-annual health checkup, the club’s management board together with the volunteers invited doctor to check-up Mrs. An’s health regularly, volunteers also monitor her health like weighing, measuring blood pressure, reminding and helping her to take medicine, etc. In addition, volunteers also bring health care kit items provided by the project when they visit Mrs. An such as: twin rollers, foot rollers for massage purpose, assisting her in doing simple exercises which help recover her muscles.
Results and changes due to support from the ISHC
Since receiving the support from Thuan Nhat ISHC, her health has improved a lot, reducing body aches and pains when the weather changes. If in the past, she had difficulty in walking and exercising, her house was empty and lonely, now the home-care volunteers have come to support and care for her, making her health much better, being able to walk and move, less convulsions. Thanks to that, the neighbors are also more interested in encouraging and sharing, making Mrs. An feel much happier than in the past and feel that she is not left behind, is socialized, mentally encouraged, helping her be optimistic and have more motivation to fight the disease.
“Without care and encouragement from the club’s volunteers, I don’t know how difficult my life would have been. I want to say thank you very much to the club and the volunteers, I am no longer sad or lonely!”
– Ms. Le Thi An
