Serena Park

 

365 TESTIMONIES OF HOSPITALITY

Co-worker

South Korea

Serena Park

 

I am a head nurse working at The Order’s Aged Care Home in Damyang. It is a service offered by the Hospitaller Order of St. John. It opened in December of 2007 and our first client was a 91 year old man. He was a former soldier. When admitted he would not move and rejected meals, medicine and everything with his eyes closed. When helped to brush his teeth he grabbed the toothbrush to throw it away and violently threatened the care giver.  We had difficulty in communicating with him due to his weak hearing and developing dementia.  As time went on he gradually began to improve – thanks to the constant and unchanging attitudes and care of personnel and Brothers.  His family members expressed their surprise at his improved behavior. He started to eat meals voluntarily, to show interest in his surroundings and other people and sometimes read books. When a Brother helped him to watch movies on soldiers over the internet, he smiled contentedly.  He gradually started to walk with the help of a walking device, which amazed his relatives. When he died he had spent five years with us in the Nursing Home. I sometimes think: “What is hospitality?” Is it not always do our best for the clients in our care and treat them in a very respectful manner as if they were a member of our own family? This is what hospitality means to me as a member of the Family of St John of God. 

 

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