Home for The Aged Ratchasima

Principle and reason

The Camillian (religious group) first come to Thailand in 1952 (2549) invited by bishop Mons. Carretto in the province of Ratchaburi, to look after the health of the sick people in the new opened hospital of Sancamillo. Later on so many new activities were opened in these last 65 years, and a public foundation was registered with the name of “St. Camillus Foundation of Thailand. There are a total of 12 main places and hundreds projects under the umbrella of the foundation such as; hospitals, homes for the aged, hospices for HIV/AIDS  people, centers for training  the poor children and youth of hill tribes, training for the children living with disabilities and training centers for young religious and seminarians.

 The Camillian presence moved to the north east in 2012 (2555) thank you to the invitation and the opportunity to use a piece of land from bishop Joseph Choosak  the head of the Diocese of Nakhonratchasima. So a new house for old people was planned in 2012 and opened in 2017.

“Home for the Aged Ratchasima”, is the new name, started with the co-operation between the Diocese of Nakhonratchasima and St. Camillus Foundation of Thailand, both together pioneered to work for the aged and built a home for the aged for a total of 150 beds.  The construction site is about 13,000 square meters with a lot of green area.  Home for the Aged Ratchasima opened the service in May 2017.

The place is opened to serve the elderlies in need. There is a team of nurses, assistant nurses, physical therapists and general staff who serve the old people 24 hours a day. The people accommodated are like a family and our staff is taking care according to each situation of each individual, the care approach is physical, psychological and spiritual.

Besides the accommodation at the Home for The Aged Ratchasima, there is a “Home care project” to visit the old people abounded and poor in the community. This project is aimed to take care of the needs outside the center and link the Home for The Aged with the government’s policy of taking care of the community’s need. Monthly visit are performed and a total of 77 poor and abounded old people are in the project.

Healing Garden

The “Healing Garden” project is a new activity at the Home for the Aged Ratchasima, in order to improve physical, psychological and spiritual health, and create and live a positive relationship between the elderly and the people in the community, especially in our district or even extended to the city of Korat. Volunteers, students and visitors are welcome to join and develop the “Healing Garden”. It will become a place where to get peace and inspiration, and also creation through artwork, gardening and manual work. Healing process become a part of the natural growing and changing of fruit plants, flowers and vegetables. Rest in a green place near a pond with fish, flowers and shadow is the most natural way to relax and improve health.

Old people can enter in the facility with wheel-chair. There is smooth cemented foot-path wide 1.50 to 3 meters in order to be used either the aged who use the walkers or the wheelchairs around the fish-fed pond. Solar energy fountain  add  oxygen to the water and create a life atmosphere in he area.  There are two pavilions for take a rest, the outdoor yard for doing art activities, a high type of planting bed for vegetable, the art learning room and other facilities. There is a coffee shop for service and a place for showing the art work of the aged with a wide toilet for people living with disabilities.

 The garden inside will be a truly nature garden using 100 percent of the clean solar energy which is produced inside the garden. The agriculture architect designed the part to be cultivated with fruit plants, such as limes, longans, bananas, coconuts, kaeo Mangkorns (dragon fruit), papayas, mangoes, sweet tamarinds, and organic vegetable for the kitchen, such as Chinese parsleys, Chinese kales, morning glory, eggplant, pumpkin, chili, cabbage, beans, garlic, onion, etc.

Vegetable beds can allow people in wheel-chairs or with walking problems to be in touch with nature and be blessed by sun and fresh air.

Gazebos and benches will be available all over the area to rest and fishing.

The purpose

1.To support and improve the physical and mental health of the aged.

2.To support the concept of quality of life opening the opportunity to do some work and be in touch with nature.

3.To be used when relatives and friends are coming to visit the elderly and to spend time in a relaxing environment.

4.To manage handwork and art by the elderly assisted by volunteers and staff, in order to express their feeling and improve happiness and health.

Therapeutic Horticulture

• Healing landscape benefits
• Stress reduction · Reduction of depression · Improved quality of life
• Reduced pain · Improved way-finding · Reduced provider costs
• Increased patient mobility · Higher patient satisfaction · Increased staff job satisfaction

Social Benefits

*Increased and improved     *Social integration   *Healthier Patterns                                                *Improved  Of Social Functioning     *Group Cohesiveness

Physical Benefits

*Decreased  Stress   *Decreased   Heart Rate                                                                                                        *Improved Fine  and Gross Motor Skills  *Promotes General Health and well-being                                                                                            *Improves Eye-Hand  and well-being    Coordination  *Improved    immune Response                                                                                                           

Cognitive Benefits

*Enhanced Cognitive Functioning     *Improved Concentration     *Stimulated Memory

*Improved Goal Achievement        *Improved Attention Capacity

The Target groups

1.The aged people with their relatives and the staff of the Home for the aged Ratchasima

2.People in communities around Home for the Aged Ratchasima, looking for a relaxed place.

3.The volunteers, students and staff who want to join the various activities to be integrated with our resident elderly.

Proceeding area

A total of 4 rais (6.500 square meters) next to the Home for The Aged are used to implement the “Healing Garden” with fruit plants and eatable vegetables with a small lake in the middle.

Proceeding period

Since January 2018 till the complete development. First phase up to December 2018.

The beginning

1.The management team planned for construction the healing garden.

2.The architect measured the size according to the purpose and designed the several areas according to the purpose of the project.

3.Designed the bridge which cross the pond with solar power panels into the roof.

4.Designed the cemented road with 1.50 meters wide around the pond.

5.Designed  the building for storage the agriculture tools, fertilizers and equipment.

6.Designed two water tanks and studied the way to use artesian water for agriculture   porpose.

7.Designed a building to be used by the art therapist and installed the pavilions for taking a rest.

8. Designed the vegetables beds and glass house.
9. Designed the kind of fruit trees and vegetables according to weather, soil, location and water.

What has been done up to February 2018. (First Phase)

Expenses:

Second phase….up to December 2018

The expense which is forecasted for the completely proceed until to be finished which is total amount 1,994,000 baht (one million, nine hundred and ninety-four thousand baht

Total amount 1,994,000 one million baht nine hundred and ninety-four thousand baht.

The assessment

            The process of evaluation is based on collecting data and analyzing it by time to time systematically and bring the outcome to improve the quality and the efficiency of the project.

The goal of the project assessment

1. To collect the number of people and amount of art work done weekly
2. To collect data of vegetables and fruits sent to the kitchen
3. To report regularly the obstacles and problems related to the elderly during their activities.
4. To measure the amount of happiness in the life of people using the facility.
5. To report monthly the improvement of physical and mental health of the elderly

The expectations, indicators and result.

To expect that there will be many people who attend to use regularly the healing  garden: about 250 persons divided in several categories: 20 volunteers, 50 people who stay in the local communities, 100 elderly accommodated in the Home for the aged Ratchasima, 50 staff and visitors.

 A sufficient amount of fruit and vegetable must be sent to the kitchen regularly.

Art work can be sold in the compound and in art galleries at Korat and Bangkok.

Training of visitors group from schools and local administrative organization.

Creating a model of environment where elderly can live with happiness and proud of their work feeling useful according to their age and health situation.

Financial support

 Total amount 1,994,000 one million baht nine hundred and ninety-four thousand baht.

We hope to get support from individual donors, local administration council, funding agencies in Thailand and outside the country.

The legal representative of the project are:

 Fr. Giovanni Contarin, (coordinator)  081-861-9427 , This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Fr. Ratchanai Omnok (director of CMLRatchasima)) 081-926-2202 , This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Camillian Home for the Aged Ratchsima