Home Based Care Adventures
We have seen some pretty incredible things with almost 2 full weeks of going out on home visits here in Livingstone. The way it is set up we split up into 3 groups and each visits a different village or township. Every day we go to a different village and so in one week African impact sends people to 15 different villages/clinics in this area. It's pretty incredible the reach that they are able to have.
A typical morning in home based care starts with us getting picked up in the "Muzungu Bus" as it has been named which means "white man-bus" as the little kids shout it from the streets when we drive by their homes or schools. Then we drive anywhere from 5-30 minutes away where we meet out caregivers. The caregivers are people who are familiar with the village and the people who we need to visit. We have a record for each area but they are able to translate and make sure what we tell the patients gets communicated correctly. They are super helpful as their are no maps or consistent city planning from area to area. We then spend the next 3-4 hours visiting people in their homes. We clean and dress their wounds (my personal favorite), provide health counseling, take vitals, ensure they are taking medication (HIV and TB meds), provide them with basic medications, and write up referrals to the local clinics. They also teach us fun songs and phrases is Nyanja and Bemba some of the local languages here.
I have been astonished at how strong of a pain tolerance they have, they are SO tough. It made me feel like such a pansy when I was complaining about my toe I had cut open on a metal chair. Then the next morning we saw someone who had such bad fungus and infection on all his toes that his toenail fell off leaving a gash to the bone. It definitely gave a me some perspective haha. Most of the wounds we see are burn wounds, dog or insect bites, ulcers, or some kind of accident. We see a TON of patients who have illness due to dehydration or malnutrition. They all have similar symptoms and nearly everyone we see has a water source within 100 meters of their homes but none of them drink enough water. I'm sure it is frustrating to them to hear us say they just need to drink more water and many of their problems would be solved but that really is one of the best things they can do for themselves. Anyways, the medical aspect of this project has given me such a better understanding of the reality of what care is like and the resources that they are lacking.
One of the families we visited in Natebe, they all live in that hut behind us.
A typical morning in home based care starts with us getting picked up in the "Muzungu Bus" as it has been named which means "white man-bus" as the little kids shout it from the streets when we drive by their homes or schools. Then we drive anywhere from 5-30 minutes away where we meet out caregivers. The caregivers are people who are familiar with the village and the people who we need to visit. We have a record for each area but they are able to translate and make sure what we tell the patients gets communicated correctly. They are super helpful as their are no maps or consistent city planning from area to area. We then spend the next 3-4 hours visiting people in their homes. We clean and dress their wounds (my personal favorite), provide health counseling, take vitals, ensure they are taking medication (HIV and TB meds), provide them with basic medications, and write up referrals to the local clinics. They also teach us fun songs and phrases is Nyanja and Bemba some of the local languages here.
I have been astonished at how strong of a pain tolerance they have, they are SO tough. It made me feel like such a pansy when I was complaining about my toe I had cut open on a metal chair. Then the next morning we saw someone who had such bad fungus and infection on all his toes that his toenail fell off leaving a gash to the bone. It definitely gave a me some perspective haha. Most of the wounds we see are burn wounds, dog or insect bites, ulcers, or some kind of accident. We see a TON of patients who have illness due to dehydration or malnutrition. They all have similar symptoms and nearly everyone we see has a water source within 100 meters of their homes but none of them drink enough water. I'm sure it is frustrating to them to hear us say they just need to drink more water and many of their problems would be solved but that really is one of the best things they can do for themselves. Anyways, the medical aspect of this project has given me such a better understanding of the reality of what care is like and the resources that they are lacking.
One of the families we visited in Natebe, they all live in that hut behind us.
This is Rosemary and Kenny. She is a caretaker in Kalaluka and one of the sweetest ladies I have met. She is such a doll.
This was at the end of a long day in Natebe or "The Blister Walk". It is the most rural of the villages that we go to. We walked a total of eight miles as we went from farm to farm here.
Thanks to nonexistent HIPAA laws I can share what some of the wounds we treat look like! This is one of the burn wounds we saw yesterday. It has been several weeks months since the burn but is taking very long to heal up.
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