María Teresa Aránguiz is assistant director of the Social Area of the Children's Renal Corporation MATER and has been working in the Corporation for more than 15 years. After so much time and experience, it is very difficult for her to summarize the meaning on a personal level, but she highlights the value of the Corporation's Shelter House as a space to accompany different families in the process of growth of their sons and daughters living with a chronic disease. "It is impossible not to admire their strength, their ability to recover from difficult moments, their infinite patience; but at the same time their joy, their ability to give support to other people, ensuring that children live their childhood even with the limitations," says Maria Teresa.
From another side, he recognizes that difficult moments of frustration, fear, anger, uncertainty are also experienced, but they are given space, validated and respected until they are usually resolved and the strength to continue is found.
What is the importance of social support in Corporación Renal Infantil MATER?
Social assistance is included in the spirit of MATER Corporation since its origins by focusing on supporting the most vulnerable families and trying to equalize their possibilities of access to what is necessary to cover their health needs associated with treatment or prevention.
In this sense, we speak of social assistance as any contribution that complements a treatment that cannot be provided by the public health system or by the family with its own resources.
What have been the main developments in this area in the Corporation?
The level or volume of social assistance has varied over the years, depending, on the one hand, on the needs to subsidize supplies not provided by the public service, transfers, housing habilitation, and the needs of the families we work with, but also on the Corporation's resources.
How can the community, in general, be integrated to make social assistance more relevant?
In general, we try to involve society through the presentation of projects that have allowed us to finance some aid; also by publicizing the work of the Corporation, which has generated donations and selfless support from volunteers.
Social assistance as a concept from the point of view of professional social work has a "welfare" connotation in a negative sense in that it does not solve the basic problem. However, when the need is linked to a health issue that requires a quick solution, social assistance is self-validating. The basic problems associated with families' access to opportunities are addressed by other types of longer-term interventions.
Raising awareness of this type of immediacy in the resolution of a need may generate greater awareness of the relevance of social assistance as a means of support.
What changes do you think are needed at the government level for social assistance?
Allocate more resources to health issues in order to cover all the needs associated with a child's recovery beyond the hospital setting. Likewise, allocate resources for effective actions to prevent different diseases.
Finally, María Teresa reflects that in these years there have been miraculous recoveries, but also very painful losses; successful projects and others not so successful; aid that changed lives and others that were not enough: "The stories are intertwined and varied, but the stories of effort behind several of the families we work with are always greatly appreciated and valued."
