221 78 606 20 20
contact@aspasen.org
Lundi-Samedi : 08h00 - 17h00 / Fermé le dimanche
ASPASEN testimonials Anne Marie Ndiaye

Anne Marie Ndiaye

  • 17 June 2020

We were far from imagining how much we had to provide constant assistance to grandmother before her fall one evening when trying to go to the bathroom. The suffering caused by this fall heralded the beginning of the end. After putting on a pacemaker and a few hospitalizations, his health had seriously deteriorated. The jovial and talkative woman we once knew had lost weight and become calm. She had become dependent on others to maintain basic hygiene and feed herself. This woman who cared for her children and so many others was in such a bad shape that she wanted a quick end. One Sunday evening, after several unsuccessful attempts by my uncle and aunt to make her eat, I managed to get her to take a few spoonfuls of yogurt. After each bite, she raised her hand and wiped her mouth – the reflex of being presentable and dignified until the end, even when she was only in the company of her little daughter on her bed. Twice she tried to talk to me, but I couldn’t understand what she was saying – I would have loved to know what she wanted to say to me, even today. It was the last evening I spent with him

I had hugged her to keep her warm and to make her feel all the love I felt for her so that she could draw the strength to hold on. In the same way that she had been a force of nature which made me a strong woman, made me feel safe and able to conquer the world, I wanted to somehow return the favor. I needed to make her feel my unconditional love, give her unfailing support, just be able to comfort her. For me … she was and still will be the Great Royal: an incredible force with her strength, her courage and an immeasurable presence in our lives. She died the next day and for months I was angry.

Angry for the feeling that we did not provide the necessary support towards the end. Instead of dedicated, caring and dignified care, she had ad hoc support from domestic help and available family members who were not trained because we did not have the resources or access to provide it. dedicated full-time care. She was a modest woman and would never have let us – we her grandchildren – take care of intimate care. She was hospitalized several times in a private clinic, but the institution was too impersonal and expensive.

For me, palliative care consists of supporting and caring for people with a chronic or incurable disease or those who are simply, according to the natural circle of life, at the end of their journey. A difficult period, these moments are delicate for those who receive care but also for those who provide care, sometimes overwhelmed because unprepared and, in some cases, in early mourning in the face of the difficult transformation of their loved ones.

In Senegal, we have the privilege of having a strong community culture, hospitality and united family structures. Needless to say, we are a country of Teranga and yet we have fallen far behind in the provision of palliative care.

The only services available are private care with costs beyond the reach of most Senegalese. Public institutions are lacking while public health establishments in general are few, underfunded and understaffed. Most care, for patients who are fortunate to receive it, is provided by parents or caregivers at home without proper training to provide care to high standards and without the equipment to do so. ‘in a dignified manner. ASPASEN is my personal commitment to find a way to remedy this so that teranga and comfort in the face of health challenges become part of life in Senegal … until the end.

Share:

You may also like