Old age is an inseparable part of human life. It brings with it changes in biological functions, psychological changes, but also social ones. These changes often lead to a loss of independence, to dependence on the help of another person, most often family members. Sometimes a person finds himself completely alone at the end of his life, family ties are completely absent, or family members cannot or are unable for various reasons to provide the senior with the care he needs. And then he looks for an answer to the question: "How to proceed, where to go, who will take care of me...?" Naturally, everyone wants to live out their old age where they grew up, where they lived in their productive years, that is, in a familiar home environment. Often, however, he is no longer able to exist on his own and there are no possibilities to solve the situation within the family or with a nursing service. One of the possibilities to survive this period of "autumn of life" with dignity is to stay in a social services facility. However, moving there sometimes means as much as transplanting an old tree. Surviving the autumn of life in an unfamiliar environment, with a large number of strangers with similar fates, is not an attractive idea. Perhaps this is also the reason recently there is an increased demand for small establishments with a low number of residents, where an older person gets to know a new environment faster, recognizes and remembers a smaller number of clients and employees more easily, and thus acclimatizes to new living conditions more easily. At the same time, the low-capacity facility allows creating and maintaining a more intimate environment and a family atmosphere, but especially an individual approach to each client. One such facility is the Charitný dom sv. Edita Steinová in the village of Vojčice, located 8 km from the district town of Trebišov. The facility with a capacity of 17 beds has been in operation for less than 9 years. During that time, it provided placement to 45 clients.
Charity House of St. Edita Steinová - device characteristics Charitable House of St. Edita Steinová in Vojčice is a purpose-built church facility managed by Arcidiecéznou charitou Košice. The Archdiocesan Charity is a public association of the faithful, which is established by the diocesan bishop of the Archdiocese of Košice according to the provisions of canon 114 of the Code of Canon Law (CIC) and according to § 6 par. 1, letter h) Act no. 308/1991 Coll. on freedom of religious belief and the status of churches and religious societies. According to Canon 116, § 2, the CIC is a public legal entity.
Brief history of establishment and development of the device The creation of the work itself was preceded by the volunteer activity of Trebišov Parish Charity co-workers. During the implementation of one of the projects of the Slovak Catholic Charity, the so-called visiting service at the hospital had the opportunity to get to know old and disabled people, who were anxiously awaiting the day they would end their hospitalization and return to an empty apartment or a cold house. The first idea of creating a family-type facility that would replace the missing family environment for lonely people and provide comprehensive care in times of need was born in the minds of volunteers. They say: "where there's a will, there's a way". Although it was an arduous journey and full of obstacles, the idea became a reality.
In In 1997, an Austrian Catholic charity donated money for the purchase of land and a building in the village of Vojčice. Due to a lack of funds, the building fell into disrepair for 2 years. The work itself was created in the years 1999-2001 with the help of voluntary collaborators of the charity. The construction was led by the then Trebišov chaplain PhDr. Peter Novysedlák, who was able to motivate the residents of the village and the surrounding area, youth and homeless people from Trebišov to build the work. At the same time as the construction, collections, benefit concerts and social fairs were organized in order to raise funds for the continuation of the construction. In July In 2000, the building was visited by representatives of a French charity, whose project appealed to them so much that they decided to support it with the sum of Sk 1,200,000, as one of three projects within the entire Slovak Republic. On October 20, 2001, the completed building was ceremoniously consecrated by Mons. Alojz Tkáč, Archbishop of Košice. The first residents arrived on 1 November 2001. Charitable House of St. Edita Steinová is a facility with a year-round stay, providing social services in accordance with Act no. 448/2008 Coll. about social services. In accordance with the aforementioned law, it is registered as:
- home of social services,
- facility for seniors.
The facility also provides meals to pensioners from the nearby area. It also serves as a meeting place for communities from the village, especially the Association of Marian Youth, the Community of Mothers' Prayer, but those who make this work exist - the volunteers - also have their right of residence here.
Services The target group is citizens of retirement age, disabled, dependent on the help of another person. From the very beginning of operation, priority was given to applicants who are completely alone and, due to their age and health, are unable to provide for the basic necessities of life on their own. While according to the legislation valid until the end of 2008, the facility had the option of choosing clients, the new Act on Social Services transferred the decision-making authority in the placement of the applicant to municipalities, cities and higher territorial units. The question is whether this criterion preferred by the founders will be able to be applied in the future as well. The charity house is a combined facility. In the section of facilities for senior citizens, pursuant to § 35 of Act no. 448/2008 Coll. on social services, a social service is provided to a natural person who has reached retirement age and is dependent on the help of another person, or to a natural person who needs the provision of a social service for other serious reasons. Currently, 7 clients live in the facility for seniors. In addition to the classic services - accommodation, meals, cleaning, washing, ironing and maintenance of linen and clothing, help is provided when dependent on the help of another person, social counseling, social rehabilitation, health care is provided through a district doctor, and conditions are created for the safekeeping of valuables or an interest activity. In addition, occupational therapy is provided in the part of social services houses where 10 clients live. In the home of social services, pursuant to § 38 of Act no. 448/2008 Coll. provides a social service to an adult natural person who is dependent on the help of another person and whose degree of dependency is at least "V" according to Annex no. 3 of the cited law. An important part of clients' lives is fulfilling leisure activities. The facility tries to create conditions especially for activities that are meaningful, give clients a sense of necessity and usefulness. Clients participate in small household chores within their possibilities and abilities, e.g. they help iron and fold washed towels, tablecloths, cut napkins, water or transplant flowers, clean nuts, peas, beans, sort potatoes. Great importance in the framework of social rehabilitation is attached to guiding clients to develop and maintain self-care activities as long as possible. Emphasis is placed on developing mutual assistance - not passively waiting for the care of the staff, but paying attention to the needs of the other person, helping them, e.g. when getting dressed, when getting up from a chair, escorting to the table, to the chapel, for a walk, handing a necessary thing, showing attention to the other person... Even if it is essentially a small thing, it is a form of "help to help oneself". The main effort is to create a feeling of security in the client that he is needed, wanted and loved in this facility, not suffered, postponed and useless.
Restaurant for pensioners The soup kitchen provides all-day meals for residents of the charity house of St. Edita Steinová, all-day meals for clients of another social service facility in the village of Vojčice, for employees of both facilities and for approximately 35 other pensioners from the nearby area, whose food is delivered directly to households.
Material security To ensure its tasks, the charity manages its own two-story building with land. Their operation is subject to the relevant provisions of regulations in the field of social services, safety and health protection at work, fire protection, hygiene regulations, etc. There are 6 double and 5 single rooms in the accommodation part. Sanitary facilities are shared. The accommodation part includes a dining room, a common room and a chapel. The garden, courtyard and flower garden are used for the application of leisure activities and work therapy. The central idea of the charity house project was to create a family-type facility, as much as possible in a way of functioning similar to life in a home environment, to create substitute family ties, to suppress the "institutionality" of the facility to the maximum extent, to create a family atmosphere. On the other hand, a smaller number of clients also means less income for the facility and problems with their management. The new Act on Social Services is also discriminatory against low-capacity facilities, which does not take into account the facility's capacity when providing a subsidy for its operation.
Personal security Client care is provided by a team of 14 employees, including 6 shift workers. Due to the nature of the operation, some employees have cumulative functions. They perform a wide range of tasks that need to be ensured on a daily basis for the smooth running of operations. In this sense, this job makes quite demanding demands on the workers. It requires a certain kind of "universality", as well as a wide range of knowledge and skills from various fields, the ability to adapt - to immediately adapt to changed conditions and to be able to independently solve the problems that arise. In classic institutionalized facilities, a different employee specializes in each type of agenda. The financial situation of low-capacity facilities forces the creation of a type of universal worker, with a broad overview and knowledge of various fields and agendas. Weekends and night shifts, when the worker is alone in the facility with responsibility for 17 clients, are a great mental and physical challenge for shift workers. He must be able to deal with sudden emergency technical situations, react correctly and flexibly and solve the situation immediately. Participation in cultural, social or recreational events organized for clients, in spiritual life in the facility, as well as taking care of the yard and garden is a matter of course for every employee. Considering the nature of the facility and its difficulty, careful selection of employees is necessary, as well as additional care for their ongoing knowledge growth, motivation, psychohygiene and prevention of burnout syndrome. From the employee's point of view, it's hard work, but also beautiful. Seeing satisfaction on the faces of clients is the greatest reward. This work is, in the truest sense of the word, not just a job, but a real mission.
M.Sc. Katarína Kolačkovská The author works as the head of the Charity House of St. Edita Steinová in Vojčice
Photo - archive of the Charitable House of St. Edita Steinová