Every mother hopes that her baby will be born healthy and live happily. Sadly this is not the case for thousands of Latvian families. Their fate is to take care of a seriously ill child or child with a lifelong disease. Such life is emotionally and physically hard. It is emotionally painful to accept that your child will not be healthy and will not be able to achieve his dreams of a fulfilling life. It is also physically difficult, because such children cannot be left alone unattended and require around the clock care even at the age of 10 to 15.
Parents of these children have not abandoned them or given them to state care (or later nursing homes), but have taken on full responsibility and care. These children have a varying degrees of disability - from mild complications with slight coordination issues to severe disability cases, when the child is unable to walk or sit unaided. In physical disability cases, intelligence and emotional development is usually preserved therefore a return to nursing home would prove a tragedy for both parents and children.
Family unit must be really strong to bring up a seriously ill child. Most often, mothers are the carers, and it is wonderful when fathers can assist with the care as well, but it is not often the case. Mothers usually struggle to take on a full time employment as they are main carers. This means they can rarely leave the house, not to mention the opportunity to have time for themselves. Many mothers caring for their sick children become seriously ill themselves. These illnesses include back, joint and bone problems. But above all these mothers have bleeding souls – caused by the despair and guilt on the one hand, hopelessness and emptiness on the other hand.
Families caring for their sick child need our support to encourage them and provide strength. Sometimes their relatives and friends can assist, but more often than not it is not enough. In such circumstances, specific knowledge and skills as well as practical help is required in everyday life. A family assistant, professional carer can provide the required care thus assisting parents as well. Parents are then able to use this time at their own discretion and needs – have doctor’s, physiologist’s appointment, spend quality time with their other children or any other tasks that are not usually feasible with a disabled child.
It is expected that a professional carer will help a family an average of up to 32 hours per month which aggregates to EUR 206.71 (including taxes) per month or EUR 2480.52 per year. Caring for a disabled child is a big expense which many families are not able to afford.
Therefore we call for support for the possibility of a family to receive both a professional carer assistance, as well as other forms of support of child care for mothers and fathers!
You can also support the the project in Swedbank branches and the New Riga Theatre where in return for EUR 10 donation you receive a free gift, double CD of fairy tales “Klausampasakas”, read by the actors of the New Riga Theatre.
The Project is placed online on: 01.01.2015
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