Traveling together, like we used to (despite Alzheimer's)
Slowing down, unplugging, discovering new places, cultivating relationships, nurturing loved ones, taking time for yourself: there's all this and more in the vacation we all long for. Not emptiness, but fullness. Starting today and for ten days, right in the middle of the quintessential vacation season, we're offering you ten different experiences: ten stories to try to put yourself in someone else's shoes, even when it comes to vacation. And happy summer to everyone, from the VITA editorial team! (SDC)
"It was wonderful to be able to spend two days with my husband." This was said by a middle-aged woman returning from a mountain vacation. It may seem like a banal statement, but it actually carries a small revolution. Her husband no longer lives at home with her: he is one of the residents of the Rifugio Re Carlo Alberto , a facility in Val Pellice, in the province of Turin, designed to accommodate partially and non-self-sufficient people with Alzheimer's and other dementias in various stages of the disease (we wrote about it here ).
The idea came from a nurse. "We're always looking for trials around the world," says Federica Dotta , director of the facility run by the Waldensian Diaconate , "and he had come across the experience of the Rollende Engel association, which in Austria makes cancer patients' dreams come true: to attend a sporting event live, to be there when the curtain rises at the theater, to return to a place close to their heart." Family members aren't always able to provide the assistance needed to fulfill these small dreams, so the association steps in, with a staff of trained emergency responders/paramedics, intensive care nurses, and doctors.
"We didn't want to replicate the initiative, since our guests have different needs and stories. However, we were aiming for the same goal: to give life to the years," Dotta continues. " So we sent out a questionnaire to family members. We asked them: what would you like to do again with your loved one? One of the most popular answers was: to travel together again."
When entering a nursing home, the patient and their family imagine a whole series of experiences destined to be lost forever: sleeping and waking up together in the same bed, dining overlooking the sea, admiring a mountain panorama. " Even the simplest daily routines become complicated for the caregiver ." It's a different story when those same experiences can be enjoyed in a completely protected setting with their loved one.
This is why Let's travel together – A journey that heals was born, a project capable of benefiting not only guests with dementia but also their loved ones: a husband, a child, a wife. "Last year, the pilot edition took place with a trip to Belgium. This year, thanks to two partners (the local pharmacy Vasario and the local Zonta Club, ed. ), we were able to offer two free stays for about ten guests accompanied by their families. We stayed in a hotel in Loano where everyone had their own room, with the rooms all on the same floor and close to those of the healthcare team made up of a healthcare assistant, a nurse, and a trainee nurse, to ensure privacy and safety." With another group, the destination was a refuge in Angrogna, in the upper Pellice Valley: Davide discovered new places with his wife, Leila guided her daughters to panoramic and historic spots in the Waldensian valleys, and Renata returned to her beloved Alps .
The caregiver must be accompanied and supported: these are also the years to which we must add life
"For years, we've been repeating that for every Alzheimer's patient and every dementia diagnosis, there's always at least one other person suffering alongside them. With this project, we're not just addressing the disease, but everything that goes with it," adds Dotta. "Caregivers need to be accompanied and supported: these are also their years to which we must add life."
In April, VITA dedicated an issue of its magazine to family caregivers : 7 million invisible people who silently bear the burden of a loved one's fragility every day. If you have a subscription, read it now here and thank you for your support. If you'd like to subscribe, you can do so at this link .
The photographs are from the Waldensian Diaconate
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