Организация JIP выдала сотни семей в Малайзии медицинские кровати для облегчения ухода за больными

BATU GAJAH: For Muhammad Suhaimi Rafa’at, one piece of equipment has made an exhausting daily routine a little easier. The 40-year-old vocalist of the band Sofea has been caring for his mother, Nadirah Shaharuddin, 79, for more than three years. She has dementia and, after fracturing her hip in a fall about two months ago, now needs help with almost every part of daily life, from bathing and eating to changing diapers and moving safely. Before the family received a hospital bed on loan from Pertubuhan Jalinan Insan Prihatin (JIP), even the simplest tasks could be challenging. “It was very difficult to change her diapers and bathe her,” Suhaimi recalled. “She could barely move and would often complain of pain because she had to remain in a lying position most of the time.” The bed has made his mother more comfortable and reduced some of the physical strain of caring for her. “When we got the bed, I felt very relieved. She is more comfortable and everything has become much easier,” he added. For Suhaimi, whose income depends on stage performances, caregiving has also meant postponing recording sessions and other work commitments. Still, he says his mother’s comfort comes first. He and his mother are among hundreds of families who have received help from JIP, which lends hospital beds, wheelchairs, oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders and other patient-care equipment. Founder Muhammad Don Abdul Rahman, 59, first saw the need for such equipment through his own family. In 2014, he bought a second-hand hospital bed for about RM500 for his bedridden mother-in-law. She died a day later, leaving the bed barely used. Rather than let it sit idle, Muhammad Don decided it should go to another family who needed it. He soon discovered there were many more. “From one bed, we bought more until we had five, then 10, 15, and eventually the number kept growing until today, when we have 314 hospital beds,” he told Bernama. The effort eventually developed into a more organised aid network, with JIP formally registered around 2020. To date, about 936 people have benefited from its hospital-bed loans, while hundreds of others have used different types of equipment. The items are loaned rather than given away permanently. Recipients agree to return them once they are no longer needed, allowing each bed, wheelchair or oxygen unit to help another family. “This is important so that we can reuse the equipment to help other patients who also need it,” Muhammad Don noted. The benefits are not only for patients: for family members carrying out the daily work of caregiving, suitable equipment can make bathing, feeding and repositioning a bedridden person safer and less physically demanding. M Raja Kumar knows that strain well. His wife, M Pushpa, 66, has been bedridden for about five years and depends on him for meals, bathing and other personal care. Raja Kumar, 71, also undergoes dialysis for kidney problems, making the demands of caregiving even more difficult. A hospital bed loaned by JIP has helped make caring for his wife at home more manageable. Muhammad Don said illness can affect families of any background, which is why JIP provides assistance regardless of race, religion, age or financial status. Support for the organisation has also come from donors of different backgrounds, including people who have contributed money or equipment without ever meeting him. For families caring for someone at home, the help can be remarkably practical: a bed at the right height, a wheelchair when mobility disappears, or oxygen equipment when breathing becomes difficult. None of those things removes the emotional and physical demands of caregiving. But for people such as Suhaimi and Raja Kumar, they can make a very hard day a little easier.