On the occasion of Easter, Monsignor Antonio Giuseppe Caiazzo went to visit the guests of the San Raffaele Geriatric Center, the retirement home for the elderly which has been operational in Matera since March 2022.
Welcoming him upon his arrival at the facility, located in the service area of the industrial area, were the operations director of the Center Luciano Ladisi, the health director Dr. Giuseppe Calicchio, the chaplain Don Biagio Plasmati and the parish priest of Borgo La Martella Don Gianpaolo Grieco.
After a moment of prayer, with the recitation of the rosary and listening to passages from the Gospel relating to the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, Don Pino spoke with the guests of the Centre: referring to the flowers that decorate the “Sepulchres” of Good Friday he recalled the popular tradition of growing them under the bed, a place of life and love, underlining the analogies with Easter: new life blooms from seeds buried in the earth.
There are currently 35 guests at the Center entrusted to the care of 20 assistants including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and OSS. Although the structure has received accreditation from the Basilicata region, it is still awaiting the signing of the agreement by the Matera health authority which would allow it to increase the number of people assisted to over one hundred.
Due to this delay and the high management costs, the management of the facility has recently informed the local authorities of the concrete possibility that the center will have to stop its activity on April 10th, with serious damage to the guests and healthcare personnel.
In this regard, the Bishop expressed the hope that, with the attention of the institutions, a solution to the problem, which is also common to other care homes in the area, can be found quickly.
The meeting ended with a greeting from the operational director of the Center and a floral tribute to the Bishop and the priests present by an elderly guest.
The Bishop then visited the wards bringing the Easter blessing to the bedridden patients.
