The struggle for social assistance
Nicolas Quispe is 93 years old, and he is only expected to live for a few days. In an emergency surgery at the Diospi Suyana hospital, the surgeon found that Nicolas had a twisted colon and advanced inflammation (peritonitis). Now he may die with dignity in his own bed at home.
Social worker Debora Centner writes: “His three daughters have become his full-time caregivers. But they were struggling to make ends meet, because in order to withdraw their financial aid from the bank, their terminally ill father had to be physically present. So we grabbed the ambulance and took Nicolas directly to the bank. As a social worker, I helped negotiate with the bank employees. Then the person in charge of the program came to the ambulance armed with a clipboard and an official document. He pressed the patient’s finger onto the document as a signature, and then the money was paid.
“You have received your money,” I told Nicolas, who is blind. In a weak voice, he replied, “Gracias, Mamita.”
This money can now sustain him and his daughters until his last breath at home. He will be able to leave this earth surrounded by those he loves most.
