關於黎阿嬤家的十二公里路

關於「照服員張育瑄與黎阿嬤的十二公里路」，這個小故事是門諾基金會的真實服務個案，張育瑄是門諾南區中心的照服員，故事記錄的是她在卓溪偏鄉服務的真實感動。而在偏鄉地區也確實有許多的故事一直在持續地發生著。而且有很多情節，可能都是我們不曾去思想與體會過的，尤其是當我們自己所熟悉的生活範圍內，都市發展所帶來的便利性早已成為一種習慣與事實的時候。而影片中這位將近八十歲的「黎阿嬤」的生活處境，雙眼失明加上無法行動、阿嬤的「鄰居」跟她竟然相距也有十二公里這麼的遠！當缺乏家庭支持的狀況下，在宅老化的居家照顧就是一個最直接的服務需求，因為偏鄉地區並沒有足夠的機構式照顧資源與能量，加上距離因素與服務個案都較為分散，因此透過督訪的訪查記錄與照服員的直接照顧，以到宅服務的方式已是目前偏遠地區較好的選擇與考量。

The story of "Volunteer Chang and her 12km trek to Grandma Li" is a true story of service provided by the Mennonite Social Welfare Foundation. Chang Yu-hsuan is a caregiver at the Southern Regional Center of the Foundation, and the story is about touching incidents of her service in a rural township called Tsuo Hsi (literally "The Tsuo River"). There are many stories like that in the countryside, and also many different circumstances that we may not have experienced or even thought about, especially since in our familiar surroundings we have habitually accepted the convenience brought by urbanization as fact. As shown in the film, Grandma Li is nearly 80 years old, blind, and mobility-challenged, and her nearest neighbor is 12 km (8 miles) away! Without family support, geriatric at-home care is a fundamental need, as rural governments do not have sufficient institutionalized resources nor energy to provide such care, and cases may be spread-out over a wide area, far from institutionalized care providers; we have found that, taking into account such difficulties, a combination of recorded visitations and direct care by caregivers at home provides a better quality of care.

↑照服員張育瑄把黎阿嬤從床上抱起來，協助眼盲又行動不便的阿嬤下床進行活動，包括協助阿嬤用餐與幫她洗澡，這些是照服員張育瑄定期來服務所能提供的幫助。（照片：門諾基金會提供）

↑Caregiver Chang is helping the blind and bedridden Grandma Li up from her bed for meals and baths. This is typical of the care Chang provides on a regular basis. ( Photo by the Mennonite Social Welfare Foundation)

看見偏鄉弱勢長者照顧的需求，從91年開始，門諾基金會就開始以最精簡的方式，慢慢地進駐到花蓮南區偏鄉進行服務，成為弱勢與獨居長輩的幫助。花蓮縣卓溪地區大部分為部落山區地形，在經過門諾的照服員訓練之後，照服員帶著愛心輪番介入偏鄉服務，跋山涉水有時候卻也是必須的學習，而對於這些接受照顧的阿公或阿嬤來說，照服員其實就是他們生活上極大的精神支持。

Noting the need for elderly care in rural areas, the Mennonite Social Welfare Foundation has been slowly expanding, without fanfare, into the mountainous regional of southern Hualien since 2002, to provide care for the elderly who are disadvantaged and/or living alone. The Tsuo Hsi area is mountainous and difficult, and caregivers - after successfully completing the Foundation's caregiver training course - take turns in such rural regions to provide care . Sometimes volunteers have to learn to traverse the difficult terrain, but caregivers provide invaluable support - both physically and emotionally - to these elderly citizens in the remote countryside.

【第一次來到的驚訝與感動】

【Surprise and inspiration on her first visit】

張育瑄回想起當初第一次服務黎阿嬤時，她找遍了卓溪鄉都尋不著黎阿嬤的家，騎著摩托車抱著遲疑的心情往山裡前進，騎了十多公里之後，就在一片河床邊看見了黎阿嬤跟阿公住的小房子，她不敢相信兩個門牌號碼之間，怎麼會差距十二公里這樣的遠！快要八十歲的黎阿嬤，因為雙眼失明加上行動不便，就跟八十六歲的先生住在這個河床邊，他們住的是鐵皮屋，生活條件並不是非常好，家人也因為謀生工作的關係，照顧他們兩老也是心有餘而力不足。

Chang remembered that the first time she was supposed to visit Grandma Li, she rode her scooter all over Tsuo Hsi township but could not find her house; uneasily, she followed the road into the mountains, and finally found the little shack by the riverbed where Grandma and Grandpa Li lives, after more than 10 kilometers; Chang could not believe that they live 12 km from their nearest neighbor! Grandma Li is almost 80 years old, blind, and bedridden; she lives with her 86-years-old husband in a shack build from corrugated metal sheets, in less than ideal conditions. Other members of her family had to work and find it difficult to visit and assist the elderly couple.

↑卓溪鄉是花蓮的南區偏鄉，有許多長者個案散佈在部落，照服員常常必須穿過大山大河，照顧弱勢獨居長者的健康與生活。（照片：門諾基金會提供）

↑ Tsuo Hsi Township is a remote village in the south of Hualien, with many elderly clients spread out over the tribal regions. Caregivers often have to traverse difficult terrain to care for the health and wellbeing of their clients . (Photo by the Mennonite Social Welfare Foundation)

↑黎阿嬤在照服員的幫忙下，靜靜的在餐桌邊用餐。（照片：門諾基金會提供）

↑ Grandma Li quietly enjoys a meal with assistance from her caregiver. ( Photo by the Mennonite Social Welfare Foundation)

↑黎阿嬤雖然不能言語，但是對於照服員的照顧都十分的配合，育瑄也盡心盡力的協助黎阿嬤在健康與生活上的看顧。（照片：門諾基金會提供）

↑Although Grandma Li can no longer speak, she cooperates well with her caregiver, and likewise her caregiver attempts to provide Li with the best possible care for her health and well-being. ( Photo by the Mennonite Social Welfare Foundation)

張育瑄說，令她感動的是有ㄧ次下著大雨，她冒著大雨前來，快九十歲的阿公就在門口等她到來，因為阿公很擔心她在山區騎車會遇到危險，張育瑄說幫他們兩老服務的這幾年來，他們幾乎已經把她當作女兒看待了，離去前阿公也一再提醒她騎車的路上一定要小心！張育瑄說他們兩老都是「小嬰孩」，都非常配合也很聽她的話，所以很喜歡來到這裡服務黎阿嬤，看到他們兩老開心，自己也會很開心！就算是冒雨騎十幾公里的山路也沒關係！

Caregiver Chang said that once she visited the elderly couple in pouring rain, and Grandpa Li, nearly 90 years of age, was waiting for her at the door, braving the rain, because he was worried for her on the mountainous roads in the rain; she was quite touched by that gesture. Chang said that the couple have come to treat her as a daughter over the past few years of service, and whenever her visit ends Grandpa will always tell her to be careful on the mountainous roads! Chang said that the couple are like "big babies", always cooperative and heedful of her advice, and so she loves visiting and taking care of Grandma Li - she finds joy in seeing the old couple happy, even if she has to come such a long way to visit!

↑幫阿嬤洗好澡離開前，照服員張育瑄握著阿嬤的手跟她道別，張育瑄說讓阿嬤可以舒舒服服的休息，是每次到這邊服務最大的心靈收穫。（照片：門諾基金會提供）

↑After bathing Grandma Li and before ending her visit, Caregiver Chang says goodbye to Grandma Li; Chang says that helping Grandma Li to be comfortable is her greatest satisfaction from her visit. ( Photo by the Mennonite Social Welfare Foundation)

【在地札根獨居長者安心】

【Taking local roots to better assist local elderly】

花蓮南區將近有12000位長輩，在當中獨居的弱勢長輩除了健康上的看顧之外，生活上也普遍需要協助，門諾基金會在民國86年成立，便開始投入縣內居家年長者的照顧工作。花蓮地區由於地形狹長，南北距離將近140公里，為了讓南區四鄉鎮的老年人都能有效的獲得照顧，門諾在94年1月在花蓮南端的玉里鎮租用一間辦公室成為在地服務中心，提供各式居家與社區的服務，儘管如此，花東偏鄉的弱勢照顧資源仍然需要各界的投入與愛心幫助。

The southern Hualien region has almost 12,000 senior citizens; among them, those that are disadvantaged and/or living alone require not only healthcare but often assisted living services. The Mennonite Social Welfare Foundation was established in 1997, and has been engaged in geriatric assistance work in the County. Since the Hualien County is a long and narrow strip of land 140 km (87 miles) in length, in order to provide better care to the elderly clients in the southern part of the County, the Foundation rented an office in Yuli Township in January 2005, to provide various at-home and community services. Even then, the needy and the disadvantaged in the rural regions of Hualien still need engagement and charitable assistance from society at large.

↑照服員張育瑄常常在偏鄉山區來來去去，她說自己非常樂於成為獨居弱勢長輩生命中的幫助。（照片：門諾基金會提供）

↑Caregiver Chang often traverses the countryside; she said that she finds joy in supporting the disadvantaged elderly and being a part of their lives. ( Photo by the Mennonite Social Welfare Foundation)

《採訪 / 編輯：黃東榕，翻譯志工：》

更多關於偏鄉服務與弱勢照顧，你也可以來了解：

→關於門諾基金會的服務
→跟門諾一起協助弱勢照顧
→共邀2000顆愛心「走出」長者照顧議題