My association with the Barbados Association of Palliative Care (BAPC) has been rather brief.
My husband had a stroke at the end of March, 2014. He recovered to a large extent, but continued to have various symptoms: low blood pressure, intense pain and poor intake of food and liquids. Despite this, he began retaining fluids in his legs and stomach in October. In early November, I heard about [the] BAPC at the funeral of a friend who had been one of their clients. When I went to their website, I was reassured that they would minister to people with chronic illness, in addition to the terminally ill. You see, at this time I did not realise that my husband had only a little more than a month to live.
I sent an email to Deiann Sobers, the President of the BAPC, on a Sunday evening. I had barely touched the "Send" key when she called me!! We made an appointment to meet in two days, and she visited my husband the following day. Ms. Sobers was there for us every step of the way, a God-send in every sense of the word. She visited us, found a local doctor who made home visits, found Ensure at the wholesale price, miraculously arrived at the ultrasound and at A&E, and visited my husband in the hospital. She even took me to purchase a new tyre after I had 2 flats!!!!
When he made the decision to discontinue treatments, I brought him home. Again, she visited, called, found supplies, and generally gave support. She brought a nurse and nursing assistant to meet us in order to make arrangements for his care. However, he never needed their services.
The night of his death, she took over, calling the police and the funeral director. All I had to do was sit with our friends who had gathered. She stayed until the body was taken away some 3-and-half hours later. She, of course, attended the home going service.
Ms. Sobers continues to be there, supporting me through the grieving process and the business which must be done after a death. As a retired social worker who needed emotional support at this time, I cannot say enough positive things about this association. If you feel you need some support while taking care of a loved one, reach out, Palliative Care is there.
