Sanjeevan, India - Compassionate Palliative Care

Sanjeevan continues its journey of compassion, by developing a system of sustainable community-based home care for the incurably and terminally ill, chronically bedridden and elderly.

The community volunteers, supported by home care teams and trained health care professionals, are taking care of the physical, psychological, social, emotional and spiritual needs of the patients.

At present, there are 1776 patients across 169 villages under Sanjeevan care. So far, the community volunteers have helped more than 2400 patients to recover from their illness.

Sanjeevan works mostly in the vulnerable and marginalized communities where the families of the patients are unable to organize basic provisions for themselves. About 800 food kits have been given to such families, on a regular basis.  

Around 19 training programs and 92 sensitization programs have been conducted for the community volunteers.

The government machinery is integrated by training and sensitizing self-help group (SHG) members and Anganwadi teachers in palliative care.

To make the program self-reliant whereby it can be independently run by the volunteers, with only minimum support from the Sanjeevan in critical cases, an ‘earn-and-help’ approach has been taken. Volunteers are given livelihood training in tailoring and jewellery making and are helped to establish a micro-enterprise. They would contribute a part of their earnings to a collective fund to sustain the palliative care activities in the community. 

During the critical on-going Covid19 situation, Sanjeevan has continued its work of caring for the patients, who needed enhanced support during this time. Additional provisions, food kits and medicines are being distributed during this time to counter the range of difficulties faced by the patients and their families due to the lockdown.

We sincerely hope that together, empowered with compassion and oneness, we can bring relief in pain, establish peace over trauma, replace fear with courage and hope.  

Links:

• Care with Compassion-Sanjeevan India