Coronavirus Updates from the Essential Workers on the Front Lines

In honor of #GivingTuesdayNow, we're sharing two coronavirus updates from the front lines of JDC’s essential work.

May 5, 2020

In honor of #GivingTuesdayNow, we’re sharing two updates from the front lines of JDC’s essential work, where homecare workers provide lifesaving aid to the homebound elderly in their community. This work has grown more difficult in the face of the coronavirus crisis — but even more vital.

The first update comes from Inna Grischenko, a homecare worker who serves three clients in Kiev:

During the quarantine, my work has changed primarily in that it’s become harder to get to work. I’m grateful to my husband, who gives me a ride to my clients when he goes to work and picks me up from their apartments on his way home. Because of this, my schedule is almost unchanged.

'Inna Grischenko is one of JDC's — Liudmila and Irina

The second update comes from Liudmila Starikovich of Minsk, Belarus and her homecare worker of five years, Irina Kutsko. Liudmila, who is nearly blind, relies completely on JDC services, including daily hot lunches and 12 hours of homecare a week.

‘I would like to thank Hesed and JDC. You don’t leave us, your clients, at this difficult time,’ Liudmila says. ‘You support us, feed us, and take care of us — but it’s more than that. You support our spirit.”

‘After all these years, Liudmila’s not a client to me; she’s my dear friend. And even now during his crisis, I put on a mask and gloves, and I come to her,’ Irina says. ‘Knowing that she’s sitting there waiting for me, I take my job seriously. She cannot join online sessions coordinated by the community, so I’m the link between her and the world. I’m her eyes and ears.’

To learn more about Liudmila’s story, watch the video:

https://youtu.be/N8DMCCNVFkI

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