Albergue Las Memorias, located in Tijuana, Mexico, is a place of refuge for persons living with HIV, often in advanced stages of AIDS and tuberculosis. Many patients arrive at the shelter with severe illness and are unable to attend to their own daily living activities, requiring assistance with basic necessities such as nutrition, medications, and bathing. Severe chronic diarrhea and incontinence are common. This can lead to decubitus (bedsores) without proper, skillful care.
Typically, patients would be admitted to a skilled nursing facility or in home care. At Las Memorias, resident care is provided by fellow residents of the shelter who volunteer in this critical role. Unfortunately, there has been a high degree of burnout and turnover given the lack of formal training in basic caregiving, in addition to working in an environment with a high level of mortality and morbidity.
In 2022, a grant from Specialists in Global Health enabled the hospice to send an inaugural class of Las Memorias resident volunteers to receive formal training through the Technical Nursing School Brenda Galavizas for one year. This training will greatly improve the care provided at Albergue Las Memorias.