Residents of settlements close to the line of combat confrontation are forced to live in basements for weeks or even months without access to water, light, and basic living conditions. As a result, many have serious foot problems: deformed nails, dry skin, cracks, and calluses.
To help restore health and comfort to the evacuated, the Charitable Foundation "East SOS" is implementing the project "Under the Wing of Care." The initiative has already reached nearly 60 residents of geriatric centers in Stetseva and Kalush in Ivano-Frankivsk region. These are elderly people and representatives of low-mobility groups who have been evacuated by our teams from Donetsk region and require constant care. Visits by specialists from the podiatry center "Easy Step" take place regularly – once every three months.
“Podiatry is primarily about health, dignity, and comfort in movement. People often ignore pain, cracks, calluses, fungus, etc., for years. These problems affect posture, joint condition, and even overall well-being. A podiatrist is a specialist who not only provides aesthetic care but also treats and helps prevent complications. It is care that restores people's sense of wholeness,” said the partnership engagement manager of the reconstruction direction of the Charitable Foundation "East SOS," Svitlana Agadzhanyan.
The team of the Charitable Foundation "East SOS" provides a full cycle of support for the evacuated: from evacuation to finding permanent housing. The foundation has created 650 places for accommodating elderly people and people with disabilities in shelters in Ivano-Frankivsk region (the villages of Blyudnyky, Stetseva, the town of Lysets, the cities of Kalush and Snyatyn), Ternopil region (the village of Probizhna and Kolyndiany), Cherkasy region (the city of Uman), Kyiv region (the village of Medvyn), Vinnytsia region (the village of Plyskiiv), and Transcarpathia (the village of Neresnytsia).
“In the shelter, there is an acute shortage of social services, particularly hairdressing and medical consultations. There is a lack of narrow-profile specialists: dermatologists, trichologists, podiatrists. After paying for accommodation, the beneficiaries are left with only about 25% of their pension, often minimal. In such conditions, any help is not just a value; it is a vital necessity that brings warmth and hope to people,” shared the director of the Kalush Geriatric Center, Vasyl Ilnytskyi.
Based on materials from the Charitable Foundation "East SOS"