Posted on Sep 17, 2022
For older Ukrainians in front-line cities, visits from social workers bring comfort
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https://www.npr.org/2022/09/16/ [login to see] /ukraine-social-workers-elderly
On the fourth floor of an apartment building, Larisa lives alone. The 76-year-old uses a walker to move around, and she can't go up or down stairs. She hasn't ventured outside since before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Only three people remain in her building, a reflection of how this front-line city in the east has fared. The hallways in the building are still littered with broken glass, the windows shattered from a recent missile strike that hit the building across the street.
It's a lonely existence for Larisa, whose brother and sister both live elsewhere in Ukraine. But she says it would be even harder if Svitlana Domoratska, a city social worker, didn't visit multiple times a week.
On the fourth floor of an apartment building, Larisa lives alone. The 76-year-old uses a walker to move around, and she can't go up or down stairs. She hasn't ventured outside since before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Only three people remain in her building, a reflection of how this front-line city in the east has fared. The hallways in the building are still littered with broken glass, the windows shattered from a recent missile strike that hit the building across the street.
It's a lonely existence for Larisa, whose brother and sister both live elsewhere in Ukraine. But she says it would be even harder if Svitlana Domoratska, a city social worker, didn't visit multiple times a week.
For older Ukrainians in front-line cities, visits from social workers bring comfort
Posted from npr.org
Russia
Ukraine
Posted >1 y ago
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Svitlana and tthe other social workers are true heroes to these elderly people, they are a true blessing to them shipmate PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Living alone in wartime has taken its toll.
"I am afraid. I don't sleep at night," she says, sobbing. "If I do fall asleep, I don't know if I'll ever wake up."
As she speaks, there are multiple explosions. The windows, covered by lace curtains, rattle after each boom. She sighs deeply and kisses the cross necklace she wears and wipes her eyes.
She says a prayer — she asks for safety from the explosions.
A lit candle sits in an altar in a corner of Anna's home. She prays for peace to come.
"Every Babushka would all do the same," she says, using the Ukrainian word for grandmother. "We all just want peace."
..."Living alone in wartime has taken its toll.
"I am afraid. I don't sleep at night," she says, sobbing. "If I do fall asleep, I don't know if I'll ever wake up."
As she speaks, there are multiple explosions. The windows, covered by lace curtains, rattle after each boom. She sighs deeply and kisses the cross necklace she wears and wipes her eyes.
She says a prayer — she asks for safety from the explosions.
A lit candle sits in an altar in a corner of Anna's home. She prays for peace to come.
"Every Babushka would all do the same," she says, using the Ukrainian word for grandmother. "We all just want peace."
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