Migrants and their health: “CasAmica” is looking for new volunteers to deal with requests for reception

ROME – After the years of the health emergency, people who move from their cities and regions for health reasons are increasing again. Because of this, CasAmica Onlus which for over thirty-five years has welcomed the sick and their families forced to be treated away from home, is looking for new volunteers for its six structures in Milan, Lecco and Rome, to enhance the services offered and help more and more those who need help in a such a difficult moment as that of the disease.

To become a volunteer. Those who want to make their time available can make themselves useful by offering support for reception, accompaniment and listening, for the booking service, for the transport service, for the organization of local activities for guests and support in the promotion of collection campaigns funds. Each skill can be useful within the association and in CasAmica all volunteers are trained and constantly accompanied in their service. For those who choose to devote themselves directly to guests, the association organizes annual training courses and monthly discussion meetings led by a psychologist. To send your application and become a volunteer at one of the six facilities of CasAmicajust visit the site www.casamica.it/volontariato/ and fill out the form “Become a Volunteer”.

Paula’s story. «I began to volunteer shortly after the birth of CasAmica – says Paola, a historic volunteer of the association – After the first moments of “I will be able to help” or “I will be able to bear all this suffering” I I understood that the house and our guests would have given me the strength. They often come back several times over the years and each return is always an emotional stress: the relief is represented precisely by the fact that at least they will find a place to sleep in a loved house, where there is also a friend waiting for them».

Giving strength with a simple smile. «Volunteers are a fundamental resource with their presence in the Homes, help to face the most difficult moments and through a fraternal style they become close in suffering, giving the strength that comes from a simple smile», explains Lucia Cagnacci Vedani, president and founder of CasAmica, who has dedicated her life to the association , providing support and hospitality to the sick and their families. «Often the disease is experienced as a moment of “closure” awaiting the hoped-for recovery. In our reception facilities, on the other hand, we want the sick and their families to find people who are willing to make even the difficult period of therapy, examinations and medical visits alive, full of relationships and friendships. This is why we promote active volunteering and take care of the training and integration of people who want to donate part of their time for hospitality », she concludes.

The book to tell the story of the association. Lucia Vedani wrote the book “A bench changed my life”, published by Edizioni Ares, which will be available starting next February 11, on the occasion of the XXXI World Day of the Sick.

The Houses of Milan. CasAmica it is present in Milan with four active structures: Casa Bambini, entirely dedicated to children and adolescents, in fact 10% of patients who arrive in Milan for treatment are under the age of 18. The structure is specially designed to be “child-friendly”, where young guests can feel at ease and lead as much as possible, together with their families, a normal life despite being away from home and being ill.

– House in via Soldini, born in 1986, is the historic headquarters of the Association and the closest to the National Cancer Institute and the Besta Neurological Institute.

– House in via Fucini, opened in 1988, in addition to welcoming the sick, has also welcomed women victims of domestic violence in recent years.

– House in via S. Achilleo, inaugurated at the beginning of 2000, occupies one of the lateral women’s galleries of the Church of SS. Nereo and Achilleo of Viale Argonne. Thanks to the large spaces, it can accommodate up to 24 people every night. Guests have at their disposal a common kitchen, dining room and living room where families share moments of conviviality and leisure.

– In addition, CasAmica has a fifth structure in the works: Progetto 3000 will, in fact, be a new reception house of 3,000 square meters between interiors and exteriors in the Milanese hinterland.

The House of Lecco. Inaugurated in October 2016, CasAmica Francesco and Antonio immediately opened up to the housing needs of the area by hosting people with frailty or experiencing moments of temporary difficulty. The bond of collaboration, close since the early days with the Municipality of Lecco and with the ATS Monza Brianza, has made it possible to respond to the housing needs of families and self-sufficient elderly people who are not able to live alone. Like the other houses, CasAmica Francesco and Antonio, is a reference point for families forced to move from their homes to find treatment in specialized healthcare facilities.

The House of Rome. This house can accommodate both adults and children. It is located in the territory of the IX Municipality, near the Campus Biomedico University Hospital, the Regina Elena National Cancer Institute and the Sant’Eugenio Hospital, in a strategic position to offer its guests a connection service with nearby hospitals of the structure. The service is dedicated to both patients and their families for visits during hospitalization periods. Where possible, the shuttle also takes guests to the shops in the area, to facilitate daily activities such as shopping and various services.

What is CasAmica. It is a voluntary organization which since 1986 welcomes patients forced to move to other cities and other regions for treatment and surgery and their families. Currently manages six homes in Milan, Lecco and Rome. One of the four houses in Milan and an area of ​​the house in Rome are dedicated to the hospitality of sick children and their families. Open 365 days a year, the facilities are located near important centers of hospital excellence, such as the Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital and the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome, the National Cancer Institute in Milan and the Manzoni of Lecco. In all the shelters, guests find the comfort, dedication and support of over 120 volunteers and CasAmica operators, in compliance with a welcoming style that over the years has become increasingly attentive to creating a comfortable and familiar environment . Over the course of 35 years, CasAmica has offered a bed and the warmth of a family to 90,000 people.