Eva Gelbman lived through some of the most horrific experiences of the 20th Century. She fled Hungary in 1957 with her brother escaping the Russian Revolution. A decade and a half prior to that she lost her parents and four of her five siblings at Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
When she came to Canada, she hoped that one day they would somehow find one another, but they never did. You can see she is still haunted by her past, tears filling her eyes while she speaks of her lost family.
Life went on and she got married and had children, then grandchildren. Now 95 and living largely independently in the basement of her daughter’s home, she is still vibrant with a smile that never seems to leave her face. She talks about the family that is with her in Canada and how much she kisses them.
Carefor PSW, Marica, stands beside her with her hand reassuringly on Eva’s back while she tells her story. Eva speaks of Marica as an angel and says that the only thing that makes her sad is that when she dies, she will not be able to see Marica because Marica will be in Heaven, while she will be in Hell. Marica reassures her that that won’t be the case and that they will be together forever.
Marica visits Eva every day for one hour helping her with bathing, personal care and dressing. “I’m here to get her going in the morning,” says Marica. However, can you see by the way they interact that the real benefit of her being there is the connection they have. “She is like a member of my family,” says Eva holding Marica’s hand. “I love her,” she says with such tremendous sincerity.
And you can see how much Eva not only means to Marica, but also what her role as a PSW means to her. Marica understands the importance of the work they do. “When somebody thanks you from their heart, that is what we live for,” she says. “That is our work, but it’s much much more than work.” What Marica brings Eva is help with her day to day, but you can see how much she helps her with things that happened to Eva years ago. Every one of the people Carefor staff supports has a story and many have lived long and often complicated lives. The time PSWs spend with their clients and the caring they provide does so much to help heal wounds from the past and replace them with happiness today.