Back on your feet with multiple helplines
Ms. Van den Berg's story shows that small steps can make a big difference. Thanks to the cooperation between healthcare providers and the efforts of her family, she slowly regained her rhythm. She is participating again, feels useful, and is among people. "It's almost a miracle."
In Mrs. Van den Berg's cozy living room, it is difficult to imagine that she was seriously ill not so long ago. "I had been struggling with my health for a while," she says. "As a COPD patient, you are used to certain things, but when I caught a nasty virus, everything went wrong. I didn't know what was happening to me anymore."
The impact was huge. Ms. Van den Berg lost her appetite, didn't want to drink anymore, and even life seemed to offer her no prospects anymore. "All I could think about was that air, that air. It was so awful, I couldn't breathe."
An intensive care approach
Fortunately, she was not alone. Meander visited her daily to provide care, and home care helped with the housework. Thanks to effective medication, her health slowly began to improve. However, the turning point came when she participated in a pilot project for self-reliance. In the pilot, various healthcare professionals work together to enable people to live independently and actively in their own homes again.
Her daughter Tonnie says: “The care was really good. An occupational therapist and a speech therapist came, and everything was focused on getting my mother back on her feet. The approach was very positive. I tried to adopt that approach myself, to encourage her to try small things. Once you have your clothes on, you just feel like a different person.”
A remarkable turnaround
Ms. Van den Berg calls her recovery nothing short of a miracle. "My breathing improved. Everyone thought I wouldn't make it, including myself. Every night, I prayed that things would get better." She is now active again: she plays bingo and volunteers at the meal service at the church in Chevremont. "I'm among people there. That does me good." Tonnie adds: "At first, my mother grumbled, but together with the caregivers, I stood my ground. Now it's as if nothing ever happened; it's incredible. We are so happy that she is still here and that she can do everything she wants to do again."
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