specific needs of children and elderly left behind as a ... - IOM Moldova

CHAPTER I
In the absence of parental monitoring and vigilance, the child may address
the doctor too late, when the disease has become too severe. If
acute diseases are not treated on time or do not meet the necessary
continuity in treatment, unfortunately, they gain a chronic form, which
becomes even more difficult to treat and develops complications in time.
A child left behind on his own cannot assess the risk by him/herself. The
parent who sees the child every day observes all health changes and consequently
reacts in time in order to stop the development of a disease or any
complications.
It is alarming that children, who take care of their brothers and sisters,
must respond appropriately to health changes of the smaller siblings. A girl
aged 15, who takes care of her 11 year old sister said: “Last year my sister
had a bad allergy... I took her to a doctor and they hospitalized her... I was
scared (the girl had swelling and rashes)” (III_C_19). The development
of allergic reactions can have severe forms, which require urgent medical
care. Unfortunately, due to the lack of adequate medical aid, some allergic
reactions can end up causing serious complications, even a patient’s
death. Thus, the life of the child can be in danger if these reactions develop
in the absence of an adult.
A similar threat may be seized on in the story told by a 15 year old minor,
who takes care of her younger sister, aged only 5. The child recalls: “Last
winter when my parents were abroad, my sister got sick, her temperature
rose to 39 degrees, I had to stay home for a week, I didn’t go to school, I took
care of her, I gave her medicine and was taking her to the doctor” (III_C_21).
High temperature in the case of little children can cause various complications,
among which are convulsions. It is doubtful that a minor will be able
to provide adequate support in such cases that pose real danger to the life
of a sick child.
Sometimes, even if an adult is taking care of a child but the contact between
them is poor, the child refrains from telling the caregiver about
his/her health problems. This was mentioned by an 11 year old girl who is
cared for by her aunt: “When my parents were at home we used to go to the
doctor, not only when something hurt. We used to go often. My mom thought
that it was good to go to the doctor regularly… But now, I go with my aunt
to the doctor only when something hurts.... I am embarrassed to ask her to
visit the doctor more often” (FG_C_1_urban). The same situation applies
to a 13 year old boy who lives with his grandmother and who has been
suffering from asthma for many years. The boy says: “I don’t always tell to
my grandmother when I feel bad... She’s always asking me how I feel and I
say that I feel better” (III_C_11). The child may not always understand
the seriousness of the problem that he has. If an adult does not notice
his/her child’s health problems and changes that occur over time (the fre-
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