CASMED – for the soul in the house includes a series of interviews with and about the people of the CASMED family, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the organization.

“With each of them you need patience, devotion and care, because you gain confidence for months and you can lose it in a few minutes …”

Maria has been working for CASMED, as a social worker, since 2017. Since then, she always amazes us with the kindness, peace and calm with which she monitors, loves and takes care of each beneficiary. For those she cares for, Maria has certainly become a sister or a daughter, one with whom you can sit and talk, have a tea, or simply share a joy or trouble.

– I have developed a special love for each beneficiary, says Maria, balancing her tone of voice, so as not to let her emotions influence her thoughts too much.

She has found about this job from the Town Hall. That time it was talking only about laundry services for elderly, so that later Maria be with these people every day – a challenge every morning, because she have to divide between home, school and beneficiaries. She didn’t think long. She always wanted a job at home, with her husband and 4 children.

Maria is one of the most beautiful evolutions in time from CASMED family. It was this experience, as I found out, sometimes beautiful and light and sometimes through difficulties that managed to educate her and form her as an integral personality always ready to help. Here she got to training in Kinesthetics courses, learned how to manage conflict situations. Thanks to these courses she helped many people to regain mobility, to recover fast making their lives easier. She confessed to us that even her life has changed a lot after all these trainings, now she starts every morning with gymnastics and exercise: it became a lifestyle that she loves. Maria always wanted to become smarter, to be able to gather words beautifully in sentences, maybe for the sake of her husband, who is a teacher in the village. Even though she was not able to receive higher education, Maria says that at CASMEDshe received the necessary resources and support to grow professionally and personally.

Maria from 2017, who was crying after each written report, and the strong, confident and open woman from now are two totally different people, but with the same love and enigma in their souls. Being asked about the most memorable event from her experiences in our teams, she told us about the zucchini roasts and Mrs. Vasile, that imprinted in her memory forever:

– It is a special pleasure when people eat what you cooked, others have more special preferences, I try to understand them, I listen and help with what I can. That’s how I managed to learn the most suitable recipe for zucchini roast for old Vasile. The first time, when I prepared them as I used to, he ate them silently, without saying anything, but the second time he approached me with calm in his voice and actions, and explained the way he wants me to cook the roasts from now on!

In the context of the current pandemic, it is most difficult for the elderly who loved to exchange a word with their neighbors. Maria says that what she does is not an easy job, because the old people often are sad because of their thoughts. But she likes to interact with people and since she started working as a social worker that the beneficiaries became all part of her family. Only in this way she managed to gain their trust, which is very difficult. Maria treats them all as good grandparents and even if she returns home tired, she takes wings when she as a heards  a “thank you” or a “stay just a little more …”. Then she understands that if she could read them stories before bedtime, she would do it with great pleasure…

– It’s not easy to raise a child, but it’s even harder to take care of an elderly, because there is an age when they become disobedient, sometimes they don’t even listen to their children, the only thing they want is peace.

The only moments when Maria doesn’t think about her beneficiaries are the moments when she cooks the tastiest dishes for them or goes shopping so that they don’t feel the burden of the age.

– When I was little, I always imagined myself at home, next to my family and my land.

From the childhood she cultivated in her soul a kind of love for her nation and homeland, so that her only wish was to stay here, she grew in her beautiful fragrant flowers and unceasing love. CASMED offered her the opportunity to stay at home and not to go abroad for earning some money, because there are difficulties everywhere.

-The old people are different and I jokingly tell them to stay more with us, on the Earth, to linger, because I have to work too. They are the ones who are always waiting for me and even get upset if you are late.

We are proud of our colleagues, of those who every day, change things for the better and contribute to building a safer and friendlier society for the community members. Only in harmony and peace we do manage to balance things and become better with each passing day. Every day CASMED grows a handful of good people, who manage to provide support and help for hundreds of people in the North of the country. Moldova, like other countries, is facing a process of demographic aging. This process is constant and long-lasting, as the number of people over 60+ increases, and the share of the young population from 0 years – 14 years decreases.

Probably even in the evening Maria rests the longings of her beneficiaries on the membrane of her right eye and while sleeping, she sings them the most melodious lullabies.That’s probably the only way she can alleviate the pain and wisdom they bring in the baggage of their live and go tiptoeing on the stairs that grow them older…

Author: Mădălina Pripa, the youngest member of the CASMED team