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China: Elderly bearers of love

 

Eastday.com, July 9, 2003

Shanghai - Tuesday is a special day for patients at a hospice ward in Linfen Hospital. It brings happiness and peace of mind for them.

The conveyors of this bliss are a team of volunteers - seven women aged between 56 and 73 years - who have been offering special care for patients in a particular ward every Tuesday from 2 pm to 4 pm since 2000.

According to the hospital, patients in that ward suffer from cancer, with a life expectancy of only up to three months.

The volunteers chat with the patients, most of whom are elderly, read newspapers for them and help them with other chores such as washing and combing. They also use their own money to hold birthday parties for the patients.

"The senior patients here are lonely, since their children are too busy to take care of them," Xu Gendi, one of the volunteers, said yesterday.

Being a neighborhood committee official in the Linfen Community, Xu came to know about the conditions of the dying patients and decided to bring them some succor by organizing a team. Six retirees volunteered to join up.

"At first, our family members thought we were crazy. But our perseverance has changed their minds and they now appreciate our work," said Xu.

"We support them (the volunteers) because they help patients die in peace and with dignity," said He Jinxian, vice director of Linfen Hospital.

The hospital has provided special training for the volunteers on how to comfort patients and assuage their fear of death. Five retired male workers will soon join the team, Xu revealed.

So far, more than 130 patients have experienced the held care from the volunteers before dying.

"They are so kind to me, as if they were my own relatives," said Wang Yongning, a 93-year-old, adding he always looks forward to Tuesdays.


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