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 The homecare services provided by the Ruhama Foundation extend assistance in three fields: social assistance, socio-medical and medical assistance. The beneficiaries of the homecare services are elderly people, who have reached the standard age of retirement, and people with disabilities, while medical care is given to any person, in accordance with the proceedings of the County Health Department. The area of activity for the homecare services is the city of Oradea and sector 5 in Bucharest.
Ruhama Foundation is accredited and authorized to provide 3 types of services:
- homecare assistance for the elderly;
- homecare and physical therapy for people with disabilities;
- medical homecare.
The homecare services provide three different categories of assistance:
- Social assistance can comprise of information regarding different rights and facilitation to: the minimum garanteed income, social canteen, disability applications, treatment or vacation tickets; information regarding services provided by other NGOs; help with legal proceedings addressed to competent institutions; participation at social and cultural activities/events; help paying certain services and current obligations: taxes, phone bill, electric bill, cable bill, maintenance fees; help with housekeeping and shopping; providing meals-on-wheels type services.
- Socio-medical assistance may involve help with personal hygiene, feeding the assisted, services of physical therapy, massage and medical gymnastics, accompanied by medical services.
- Medical assistance can consist of monitoring the physiological parameters: temperature, breathing, blood pressure, help administrating medicine; caring for simple wounds, bed soars and other types of assistance.
Monitoring and evaluation
On a monthly basis, the Ruhama Foundation assists, through its homecare services, 85 people of which, on average, 30 people receive free assistance, while the rest make a small contribution depending on the person’s income and those of its supporters.
Every six months, the Ruhama Foundation evaluates the degree of satisfaction of the beneficiaries, evaluation is done through students or volunteers, in order not to influence the opinions of the beneficiaries. Accordingly, every year questionnaires were handed out to determine the degree of satisfaction of the people benefiting from the provided services. Most of the people assisted consider that their life has sustained a considerable improvement since they have been benefiting from the homecare services provided by the Ruhama Foundation. The beneficiaries have mentioned that the quality of the Homecare Service has increased with the introduction of service quality standards, a reason for which they would recommend the services provided by the Ruhama Foundation to other people in need. If we were to compare the data collected in the last four years, we can see a significant increase of the quality, both in the way of homecare and that of the services provided.
The homecare team
The homecare service employed the help of: 1 coordinator, 2 social workers, 2 medical nurses, 1 physical therapist, 5 caregivers, 15 students doing their major field of study practice work and 4 volunteers.
Activities
2008
- Distribution of food packages for Easter, offered by the Social Community Administration Oradea;
- Distribution of pijamas to the beneficiaries, offered by SC Dacardi SRL on the occasion of Easter;
- Lunch with the ladies benefiting of homecare services, on the occasion of 1st and 8th of March, at Scala Pastryshop, hosted by the sponsor;
- Offering flowers on the occasion of 8th March to the ladies beneficiaries with support from SC Dacardi SRL and XII A class from High School “Vasile Voiculescu”;
- The assisted beneficiaries from Oradea received flowers and gifts offered by SC Dacardi SRL on the occasion of Elderly Month;
- A two-day trip in Vadu Crisului - Suncuius area, Bihor County, in the period 26-27 May, with the beneficiaries of Ruhama Foundation’s homecare services together with elders from Elderly People Centre Oradea, along with other elderly people from the Day Centre of Alesd;
- Socializing event in Cluj-Napoca City in cooperation with Alexandru Borza High School. The event was attended by elderly people, along with former teachers and students from the high school. Among the sponsors of the event are Dacia Publishing House who offered books to elderly and Casa Lux Pastryshop who offered sweets;
- The beneficiaries from district 5 Bucharest participated in a series of socializing events organized by the Association for Retired People’s Rights from Romania, partner of Ruhama Foundation starting with June 2008;
- On the occasion of the Elderly Month, we organized an event to socialize and consult the beneficiaries of the Homecare Services. The event was supported by local companies: SC Dacardi SRL, Scala Pastryshop and the organization’s team along with volunteers. The purpose of the meeting was to involve the beneficiaried in the strategy of the service, consulting them regarding the development of the service and socializing activities;
- On the occasion of Christmas Holidays, Bucharest 5th District City Hall organized the event called “Retired People Christmas”, attended by our elderly beneficiaries from district 5;
- On the 15th of December, we organized in Cluj-Napoca City a socializing event for Christmas Holidays. The event was attended by elderly people from Cluj-Napoca and students from Alexandru Borza High School, our co-organizer. The elderly participants received gifts offered by local companies.
2007
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For the Easter Holidays, the service’s team provided food packages for the assisted beneficiaries, thanks to the financial support received from the Arnos Company and the Zaharul Oradea sugar factory;
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For Easter, Christmas and with the celebration of the Month of the Elderly, the service’s team handed out food packages to the beneficiaries residing in Oradea, as well as to those in Bucharest’s sector 5, a part of the packages having been supplied by the Oradea Social Community Administration;
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The service’s team facilitated the grant of meal tickets from the Oradea Social Community Administration for the assisted elderly that had a pension under 200 lei in December 2006;
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A part of the service’s beneficiaries took part in a symphony concert organized in collaboration with the Oradea Social Community Administration on the celebration of the Day of the Elderly;
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In May, the service’s assisted participated in a social event held at the Cofetaria Scala, the service’s sponsor;
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The practising students were in charge of the survey regarding the degree of satisfaction of the people benefiting from the organisation’s services;
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The foundation organised the City’s Seniors event - a trip to the Baile Felix Resort, at the Nufarul Hotel;
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Within the “Together: The elders and the students of Bihor County” project, financed by the Bihor County Council, the foundation held an event entitled “Two generations – One Santa Claus” – organised for the Christmas Holidays at the Atrium Hotel in Oradea, an event in which prizes were awarded to 5 senior citizens who contributed in a special way to the development and promoting of Bihor County;
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The team members took part in a meeting held by the Austrian Embassy, through the Bureau of the Attaché on social problems, whose theme was the support of the elderly, preparing a project strategy;
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The service’s team took part in an exchange programme, financed through the PHARE programme, in the Austrian town of Gleisdorf, at the non-governmental organisation “Chance B”, where they improved their skills and knowledge regarding the services provided, social services methods of approach, organising and running modes.
Contacts
Elderly people, people with disabilities and their families can contact us by phone: 0259 456 180 and 0728 980 779, by email:
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or at the foundation’s office on University 4th street, Social Sciences Campus, Oradea, daily from Monday to Friday between 8.00 AM and 16.00 PM.
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