A Christian nursing home in Shaanxi is renowned locally for its attentive service and beautiful environment but develops from a very difficult start.
Wang Haihong, the home's president, said that n 2007, the staff of Baoji Living Spring Charity Nursing Home rented a land of 7 mu (1.15 acres) and began to convert former offices and a school into facilities like a residence building, kitchen, canteen, and chapel. The reconstruction project was completed in 2009.
However, there came a problem. Affected by feudal superstitions that considered as erroneous, surrounding villagers mistook the evening worship and prayer meeting as a superstitious practice. The second day they cut the water and electricity supplies, and moreover, blocked the entrance door with soil to force the home to be closed. The situation lasted for over two months.
To deal with the dilemma, Wang Haihong, the home's president, took some co-workers to explain the purpose and function of the senior citizens' home to the local government. Approaching the Dragon Boat Festival of that year, Wang and a sister distributed Zongzi, a traditional Chinese food made of glutinous rice, to every household to change their misunderstanding. At last, the problem was finally solved under the support of the government.
Later, fruit trees, bamboos, flowers, and grass were added. The infrastructure is small but complete. There is also a fish pond, pavilion, vine corridor, and vegetable garden, making the home like a flower garden.
The nursing staff is required to be a Christian and at least have a professional skill. Wang Cuixia, in her fifties, started her nursing job in 2013. Used to run a shop with an annual income of over 150,000 yuan, she sold the shop and applied to be a nurse whose monthly salary is just more than 1,000 yuan. Hard-working, she is also responsible for the home's financial management. Nurses have to feed physically incompetent persons, as long as for one or two hours for each meal. The nurses wash their faces, brush their hair, wash their feet and cut their toenails, who are more than their own children.
Fifteen rules and regulations are set up to standardize service and administration.
Every Sunday afternoon, nurses and Christian residents attend services and sing hymns in the chapel.
In addition, the institute holds recreational activities like a monthly praise and worship meeting or show performed by believers from Living Spring Church. Two sisters volunteer to give haircuts to the residents every month. Two free check-ups and a door-to-door delivery of medicines are given every year.
President Wang told that Zhang Yuqing, a 92-year-old incontinent woman, was a new resident in the spring of this year. Nurses tour to check the incontinence by smell and change her diapers as soon as there is an odor.
In the beginning, four or five elderly people moved into the home. Now it keeps more than 30 residents. The home has served over 70 seniors in the past years.
On festivals and holidays, believers from Living Spring Church bring food like vegetables, and meat and daily necessities to them and make meals.
It has gained fame, attracting Christians from Nanjing and Chongqing to visit. Afterward, the visitors returned to found local nursing homes that are bigger than the home.
- Translated by Karen Luo
