There’s nothing more valuable than having someone by your side: A Home-Based Care beneficiary’s story

Sometimes the greatest help is simply having someone who cares and helps you feel that you are not alone. For a person facing difficulties on their own, this kind of support can make a real difference.

Through the Ukrainian Red Cross Home-Based Care programme, social care workers support older people every day, making sure they do not have to face difficult times alone.

Oleksandr’s story is about years of waiting for his missing son, the challenges of living with loneliness, and the power of human compassion. Thanks to regular support from his social care worker, Oleksandr has started going outside again, moving around more and feeling that there are people around him who are ready to help and listen.

Oleksandr is a beneficiary of the Home-Based Care programme in Zhytomyr region. Like millions of Ukrainians, his life was changed by the war. He lost his wife, while his son joined the defence of Ukraine and has been missing for more than two years. The loneliness and uncertainty about his son’s fate have been extremely difficult for him.

Left to deal with everything on his own, Oleksandr was in particular need of care and support. He hardly ever left his home, had difficulty walking and found it very difficult to manage everyday tasks independently. Realising that he needed ongoing assistance, a neighbour contacted specialists from the Ukrainian Red Cross in Zhytomyr region and asked them to help Oleksandr.

Oleksandr began receiving support through the Home-Based Care programme, with Iryna, a social care worker, visiting him regularly. She helps keep his home tidy, prepares meals, helps with everyday tasks and provides something perhaps even more valuable — human connection.

“It is important for me to know that someone will knock on my door again today, ask, ‘How are you feeling?’, listen to me and simply have a conversation. I won’t be left alone,” says Oleksandr.

Thanks to the ongoing care and genuine support from the social care worker, Oleksandr has started moving around more. He can now walk slowly with crutches and has begun going outside on his own.

As a beneficiary of the Ukrainian Red Cross Home-Based Care programme, Oleksandr receives the assistance he needs through a programme implemented with the support of the Japanese Red Cross.