House of Hope volunteers trained in HIV care

Last Friday was the final day of a five-day workshop, which saw volunteers associated with the House of Hope being better equipped to give care and advice to people affected by HIV and AIDS.{{more}}

The hospice and home-based care training, which took place at the conference room of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Alliance in Kingstown, was conducted by Neil Abell and Patricia Lager, faculty members of the Florida State University.

The program was funded by the Florida Association for Volunteer Action in the Caribbean and the Americas (FAVACA).

Abell and Lager have worked extensively in the region, in the field of training, and building capacity in the fight against HIV/AIDS, which has the second highest concentration in the world, behind sub Sahara Africa.

During the workshop, the participants looked at the basics of HIV and how it is spread, counselling and crisis intervention, stigma and discrimination, as well as dealing with death and grief.

Abell, the Director of an international program in the College of Social Work at the university, said it was his hope that with the training received, the volunteers could, among other things, confront the issue of stigma and discrimination, which is one of the disease’s biggest challenges.

“There are particular ways that it manifests throughout the Caribbean that are not unique, but maybe more intense in some instances here than in other places.

“So we view people who volunteer to provide care for people who are highly stigmatized to be very courageous, dedicated and compassionate. The challenge is helping them stay with it for the long term, because the pressures can be intense….”

The educators agree that while there has been medical progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the social progress is lagging behind because of stigma and dicrimination.

“….And so we have to work with our human nature in

order to overcome the obstacles that keep people from fully benefitting from the medicines that are here today and can help us.”(JJ)