With the arrival of good weather, we want to go for a walk, but not everyone can do it without help. Many people with mobility problems need a wheelchair or walker to go outside. In many cases, acquiring this type of material is unfeasible due to its high cost. The Red Cross offers a support material loan service so that everyone can enjoy the outdoors. In Zaragoza the service is so consolidated that there is a waiting list.
At the Red Cross in Zaragoza they know that as soon as spring arrives and the temperatures rise, the request for wheelchairs skyrockets. The same thing happens on vacations and holidays like Easter. It is something that they have been detecting since 2008, when the support material loan service was launched, which is part of the ‘Caring for the Caregiver’ project and which can be requested by anyone who needs it. The delivery of support products is a response to promote the autonomy of older people and provide support to caregivers.
From crutches to walkers, to wheelchairs, but also articulated beds –right now they have 400 beds– or cranes to be able to move people who cannot take care of themselves. At the moment, between 4,000 and 5,000 people throughout the province have an article, according to Asunción Gracia, responsible for the ‘Caring for the Caregiver’ project in Zaragoza. But
The delivery of support products is a response to promote the autonomy of older people and provide support to caregivers
The loan service they offer in Zaragoza is so widespread that they always have waiting lists – and if you are a member or volunteer you have priority on these lists.
“We have been growing over the years. Both in hospitals and health centers, as soon as a person has a problem, breaks a leg for example, they recommend that they go to the Red Cross,” says Asunción Gracia. When the loan ends, the material goes to a workshop where it is reviewed and cleaned. “The demand is such that sometimes it enters the workshop in the morning and leaves in the afternoon for another user,” says the person responsible for the project. In addition, the service also includes the transportation and delivery of the material to the home.
In addition to the loan of material, the service is complemented with workshops and talks aimed at caregivers. In these talks (they are held from 8 to 10 each quarter), relaxation techniques, behaviors of dependent people, care of the dependent, family organization of care, treatment of ulcers or mobilization techniques (bed, chair and lift) are taught. The workshops not only take place in Zaragoza but are sometimes organized in towns and localities that require it. “The most important thing is that caregivers feel that they are not alone, that they have support and feel accompanied. Because in the case of sudden illnesses it is very easy to be completely lost,” concludes Asunción Gracia.
This loan activity is carried out in many other provinces throughout the national territory. And not only products for mobility and positioning, there are also products available for the bathroom and toilet, for rest, for the kitchen, etc. If you need any of these products, ask at the nearest Red Cross assembly for availability. And remember that if you have any of these support products at home that you no longer use, you can also donate them to the Red Cross.
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