Faces of The Fellowship: Nina

The Fellowship  |  June 5, 2019

Nina, an elderly woman in the former Soviet republic of Moldova, used to be a brilliant doctor. She was once fluent in Yiddish, Russian, and Ukrainian, yet today, she suffers from dementia, and is often disoriented. She only remembers Ukrainian, since that was her first language, and suffers from heart disease and glaucoma.

Nina’s son, Yakov, cares for his mother, but he doesn’t speak Ukrainian, so he can only communicate with her through hand gestures. As Nina’s health declines, it’s clear that she needs round-the-clock care.

Yakov was struggling until he turned to The Fellowship, which has been a real blessing. The Fellowship provides Nina with food assistance and medicine, as well as a homecare worker who speaks Ukrainian. When Nina feels strong enough, she and Yakov attend The Fellowship’s Memory Café, a social gathering spot for people with memory loss and their families.

This is the kind of loving care that Fellowship friends make possible every day for Jewish people in need.