Improving Quality of Life in a Nursing Home

Five years ago while listening to an SBS radio Croatian broadcast, I heard an invitation to visit lonely, sick people who live in nursing homes. I imagined that I could have been one of them and thought that I could help someone at least pass the time and feel better.

I contacted the phone number that was mentioned on the radio and spoke with Valerie Chu with the Community Visitors Scheme (CVS) managed by the Central Sydney Area Health Service. She sent me a brochure translated into Croatian and later she came to visit me so that we could get to know each other.

I agreed to spend two hours each fortnight with whoever was referred to me. After familiarising myself with the rules each community visitor must adhere to, we went to a nursing home and there I met Petar. He was lying immobile in his bed. He could not speak and looked very miserable to me.

I was aware that my visits would be very sensitive. Valerie explained that I could withdraw whenever I thought it would be too much for me. Anyhow, I decided I was going to visit Petar. He had had a motor accident which made him disabled. He could not move, and besides there was a certain amount of brain damage and he also could not be fed in the normal way. He had to be tubefed and the tube was attached directly to his stomach.

At one stage, I went back to my home country to see my family and my husband visited Petar on my behalf. During one particular visit, he saw him lying in his bed covered with a sheet. He thought Petar was dead! However, Petar was actually having a serious bout of pneumonia and was having trouble breathing, which further worsened his already serious condition.

Fortunately, he recovered from pneumonia, but was still very sick. His voice seemed as if he was crying and it could be heard by just about everyone in the building. He was hungry, as the amount of food he was getting through the tube was not enough.

It was heartbreaking. After some consideration, I decided to contact the Croatian priest at the Croatian Nursing Home, the ethnic health worker and the protective officer from the government in order to help me move Petar from his current nursing home to the Croatian Nursing Home.

Moving to a place where he could hear his native language of Croatian meant a lot to Petar. He was first sent to Liverpool Hospital for treatment and after a month, he was able to eat normally and the feeding tube was removed. During the following year, he recovered significantly (he even gained 25 kg!).

Due to the speech therapy, Petar started to speak again although with difficulty at first. But as time passed by, he kept improving. Today, he speaks almost normally. Even before he could speak, we communicated in such a way that he would write what he wanted to say on a piece of paper (again with great difficulty).

Although he spends most of his time in a wheelchair, physiotherapy and his own persistence have helped and gradually he began walking with a frame. Petar likes to read newspapers and books. On Sundays and holidays, he goes to mass. Petar's church is close to the hostel where he lives. He was moved to the hostel when his health improved.

My husband and I still visit Petar frequently and he is always very glad to see us. I helped him locate some members of his family with whom he now maintains contact — they write to each other.

I feel very happy that I had the opportunity to meet Petar and improve his quality of life.

Did Ana inspire you to volunteer? Find out how you can become a volunteer.