The following article is about an inspirational case story, a story of success about a foreign caregiver and an elderly couple. Through this story you can see how Avi-Ad Welfare Services works for the benefit of its students and how through collaboration of many factors and organizations  we were able to achieve several goals:

1. Help a student find a good and solid job in a foreign country
2. Help an elderly couple receive a professional and quality care

This Inspirational Case Story is based on true facts, but in order to keep the people’s privacy the names were changed.

Let’s start by getting to know the elderly couple; David is 76-year-old and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease two years ago, he is showing symptoms like having aggressive behavior, suspicious of his surroundings, disorientation, confusion and memory loss (short and medium term). His wife, Sarah, is 71 years old, devotedly nursed and cared for him from the moment he was diagnosed with his illness. Six months ago the same Alzheimer’s symptoms began to appear with her too.Three months ago she was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

The couple has loving and dedicated children who are doing the best they can to help and care for them but in the complex reality their children also have responsibilities to care for their young ones and with their parent’s need for constant supervision.  They encountered many difficulties and they found themselves in the verge of despair.

The couple’s social worker accompanied them in order to get the help and assistance they are entitled to from the government, and indeed they got the maximum help a person can get. However, the social worker and the couple’s children saw that it is still not enough. They tried different solutions like putting them to an elderly daycare center, hiring a local caregiver but still at the end of the day, or when the local caregiver left problems began to emerge. They would leave the house and forget their way back. Oftentimes  they got into conflicts with neighbors due to suspicious thoughts and anger outbursts, in some cases they even risked their lives by leaving the oven on or the gas open. The family was lost and frustrated, they began to think that the only solution is a nursing home. The social worker wouldn’t give up and offered them the option of hiring a foreign caregiver.

At this point, the social worker contacted our training center in Sri Lanka, and with the help of a local agency they suggested to bring a caregiver named Kumar to Israel.

Kumar is 47 years old from Sri Lanka, before his arrival to Israel he wanted to do something significant with his life, he saw the nursing profession as a mission, a role in which he will be able to help people in distress. So, Kumar registered to the BTEC Level 3 course in Health and Social Care in Avi-Ad’s training center in Colombo – Sri lanka. This learning program is internationally recognized and well known as a working standard for caregivers in over 100 western countries. As part of Kumar’s Learning program in the BTEC level 3 in Health and Social Care , he studied intensively about Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease – What are the disease symptoms, how the disease is manifested and what are the effective and efficient ways to deal with it as a caregiver.

The family prepared to Kumar’s arrival, but were very skeptical about his ability to cope and successfully care for their parents, due to the stories they heard about other caregivers, and because of the difficult situation their parents are in.

Kumar arrived to Israel in November 2015 and his integration with the couple was like it’s meant to be…the family describes a significant easing of the burden they felt, moreover, they feel that getting him as a caregiver for their parents is the best thing that happened to them. They could not believe that there is such a thing as a professional caregiver who would satisfy all their parent’s needs.

Kumar described the challenge of caring for the couple, and yet expect to continue to learn and grow in the nursing care in Israel.

Avi-Ad professional team continues to accompany Kumar through his employment period and looking forward in helping him develop professionally and personally!