A personal experience

By Rhoda Wagaki, Founding Director, Suruvi -Care for Caregivers

My dad in my recollection was one of the most disease-free individuals I knew. This changed one fateful day when he was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and a startling co-diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Long story short, suddenly we needed to consider the services of a healthcare support assistant. As many families discover in the face of disease, mtajua hamjui. My family asked around and we were referred to a Martin fellow. He came armed with caregiving jargon and a cv. He was great with Dad and got him back to as near normal as possible given the circumstances.

..can you believe that he stole ...

That said, can you believe that he also stole money and clothing, and even a mobile phone from Dad?! But that's not what we are dwelling on today.

This feature will focus on professional and licenced healthcare support assistants, where you get them from, their roles and responsibilities and who's watching over them. With a new diagnosis or a degenerating ailment or advancement to palliative care comes a deeper level of vulnerability that can be exploited by characters like the one above. Families have an extra requirement to stay alert for unscrupulous people who taint the noble reputation of heroes in scrubs. The intention of the feature in this magazine's edition and the following ones is to share correct information that can help families have a better experience than I did with Martin.

Please share with us your experiences or thoughts on our email admin@suruvi.co.ke