Red Cross Blogs

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In Patricia Miya’s house, four young children sit on the floor eating their breakfast and two others have already been packed off to school.

It is an everyday family scene maybe not so different from yours, apart from the lack of furniture. That is until you find out all six children are orphans. They are Patricia’s grandchildren and she’s been looking after them since their parents died of HIV-related illnesses.

For Patricia her worries for the future of her grandchildren have been made worse as two have already been diagnosed with HIV and two with TB. Unfortunately, this story is all too common in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, where one in seven people aged two and over are living with HIV* .

Treatment for HIV and TB

Patricia and her six grandchildren might live in a village of mud huts, but one of the quirks of globalisation means no matter how poor you are, the chances are you will still have a mobile phone. At 7 am, Patricia’s mobile alarm goes off – although she has already been up for a couple of hours.

However, the alarm is a reminder to give Nduduzo, four, and Ntokozo, two, their anti-retroviral treatment. Later, she gives Onele, four, and Thandokazi, one, their TB treatment. Although life for Patricia is tough, she does not complain. Rather she is thankful for the support she receives from friends in her community, including the Red Cross volunteers.

“I can’t even count how many times the volunteers come to visit because they are always coming to visit me,” she says. “I’m very happy for their help as they even taught me how to take care of the kids, demonstrating how to give the pills when they first started taking their treatment for HIV and TB. They supported me until I knew what to do.”

Dedicated volunteers provide lifeline

Across KwaZulu-Natal, the Red Cross has 1,300 dedicated volunteers who provide a lifeline to people in their community. They help out in the home and give advice on nutrition and establishing food gardens which can also help generate income.

Some people, like Patricia, are unable to read and write and have no idea how to access social welfare support – so this is also something the volunteers help with.

“Even the government grant I have is because of the Red Cross, as I didn’t know where to start applying for it,” Patricia says. “They also help me collect the children’s medication and bring us a large food parcel every few months.”

HIV pandemic

Every day in South Africa, Red Cross volunteers are helping thousands of people who face enormous challenges from the effect of the HIV pandemic. It’s not just those living with the disease who struggle, but also the family members who look after them and the children who are left behind when parents die.
“It was hard at first, having so many young children to care for on my own, but now I’m used to it,” Patricia says.

Patricia is 56 years old and with life expectancy for women in South Africa being 55 years**,  she is not being dramatic when she says: “I’m worried about when I die who will take care of the young ones.”

Red Cross support

Visit our website and find out more about how the Red Cross is:

• reducing stigma and discrimination
• preventing further HIV and TB infections
• expanding and improving the quality of our care, treatment and support for people living with HIV.

*South African National HIV survey 2008

**World Health Organisation

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Tags: AIDS, HIV, orphans, Red Cross volunteers, South Africa

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Christmas: pressies, puddings, arguments over the telly, young kids squawking and grandparents sat snoozing in the corner.

It’s a familiar enough scene, but sometimes it can actually be a struggle for older relatives to make the big family occasions, particularly if they are infirm and need to travel some distance to get there.

That’s why the Red Cross’ medical equipment service always finds itself in high demand during the festive season. Our volunteers have large stocks of wheelchairs, walking frames and other mobility aids that can be loaned out for short periods of time.

At Christmas time, with thousands of older relatives (of varying degrees of mobility) whizzing round the country on trains and coaches, our service becomes even more invaluable than usual – especially if the weather turns bad.

So, for example, if granny uses a stick and has a 50-mile train journey to reach her son’s town, the Red Cross can ensure her family will be waiting at the station with a handy wheelchair to ensure a comfortable and safe holiday. At such times, having – literally – the extra support of a chair or walking frame can make a huge difference.

If you’d like more information, just get in touch with your local Red Cross branch office. Equipment can usually be available within 24 hours in an emergency and is loaned absolutely free of charge (though with a refundable deposit).

Obviously, we also welcome donations – but if you hire some equipment for the festive season you’ll no doubt be in a giving mood anyway. Ho, ho, ho, indeed.

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Tags: medical equipment, medical loan, volunteers, wheelchair

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In these days of bleak weather, rubbish recessions and impending financial crises, I think we all deserve a nice story that will make us go ‘Awww’.

So try this for size: a Welsh couple recently celebrated 60 – yes, that’s 60 – years of contented marriage by asking all their friends to give donations to the Red Cross instead of buying them presents. Other than throwing a cute puppy into the mix, how could you make that story any sweeter?

The couple – Mary Davies (85) and her husband Dilwyn (84), from Carmarthenshire – are especially happy because for a long while it looked like they wouldn’t see their landmark diamond anniversary together.

Two years ago, Mary was so ill she needed emergency surgery and ten weeks in hospital. Eventually, doctors sent her home and warned the family to expect the worst. At this point the Red Cross’ continuing care service, which cares for people in their own homes at the end of their lives, stepped in.

Mary received three visits a day from the Red Cross (later reduced to one daily visit) for 12 continuous months. Then gradually, and unexpectedly, her condition started to improve – until a few months later she was back to her old self.

Looking back, the pensioner recalled: “The Red Cross carers were so good to me and so understanding. It was very important to have that help at the time – it meant such a lot.”

Mary and Dilwyn never forgot the carers’ kindness, and decided their diamond wedding anniversary would be an ideal time to show their appreciation.

As Mary put it: “There’s no point in us receiving presents – we don’t need anything.  We’d much prefer to give something back to the Red Cross so that others in a similar situation can enjoy the same support we received.”

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Tags: care in the home, Health and social care, home from hospital, homecare

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Tags: care in the home

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Guest post from Mike Adamson, director of operations for the British Red Cross

The home care review, published today by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, has found “disturbing evidence that the poor treatment of many older people is breaching their human rights and too many are struggling to voice their concerns about their care or be listened to about what kind of support they want.”

This hard-hitting report exposes the depressing reality facing too many elderly people in their own homes.

It is vital that urgent changes are now made to ensure everyone is always treated with the dignity and compassion they are entitled to expect.

Politicians must start taking note of not only the financial bottom line, but also the humanitarian bottom line. Standards must never be allowed to slip so low again.

The report is right to highlight the need to change the way services are commissioned.

By keeping a clear focus on the elderly people themselves – not just the pennies and pounds – politicians can help to ensure that the most vulnerable are encouraged and supported by those that care for them to build their own independence, and are not neglected or even abused.

Too often when budgets are tight the extra humanitarian value offered by the voluntary sector’s dedicated, passionate volunteers and staff is overlooked.

Healthcare managers must make sure in future that this social value is at the heart of the commissioning process, without this the older generation will remain at risk.

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Tags: care in the home, ehrc

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