The Whole Kit And Kaboodle

Natalya was alone in her apartment in Rego Park. She’d spent twenty-five years in the US since emigrating from Dushanbe and was grateful that things had worked out for her family. Her husband Dima had gotten a good job eventually and she herself had been employed as a caseworker for NYANA, translating for new arrivals and helping them access benefits and retraining opportunities. There were others from her city in the neighborhood and they got together for plav, leypyoshka and conversation regularly.

But now her friends were gone. They had passed away and Iosif, the Yakubov’s only son, had relocated to Colorado for a systems analyst position. He called religiously every night but the days were lonely. The kids were great even if they sounded like the typical American kids she saw on television. They came to visit twice a year and Iosif came by himself for two additional weekends.

Getting out with the aide and a walker took major effort on Natalya’s part. Her outdoor ventures had trickled down to doctor appointments and occasional excursions to the park and the supermarket when the weather was good. The answer seemed obvious and American. She went to the local pet shop and purchased a pair of cats, two Persian Longhairs, a male and female. Maybe they would entertain her with their antics and keep her company.

Maria, her coordinator at Caring Professionals understood her needs and desire for companionship. Just sitting around with the aide all day wasn’t enough for a bright woman who had been active her whole life. She was a cat lover herself and offered to spay the cats for her since she volunteered at the local cat shelter in central Queens.

The neighbors had Natalya consulted on the choice of breed proved right. Lodovica and Firuz were fun and quickly adapted to the apartment. Maria had told her which brushes and de-mattting tools to purchase and even explained to the aide how to brush and care for the pair. Cat toys and perches were bought and the days were enlivened. Things worked well for the two women and two cats for a few years but eventually, after long cat lives, first Lodovica and then Firuz went to cat heaven.

Natalya made plans for another purchase of long-haired kitties but this time Maria was not encouraging. The aide was relocating to Pennsylvania and the work of bathing, brushing, combing, and detangling two lively cats was not necessarily something that a new aide would agree to. Natalya was more feeble now and all the work would fall on the aide. Although Maria couldn’t talk Natalya out of her plans, she did convince her to buy one Persian only and Iosif purchased Ana on his next visit.

Maria came to pay a visit and check out the new cat and her owner. She’d heard from the departing aide how important Ana’s company was for Natalya and set about locating an appropriate aide who would care for the cat as well as provide care for Natalya. Working with her fellow coordinators at Caring Professionals, Margaret and Grazyna, she located a Queens-based aide who spoke Russian, understood Bukharian Jewish cuisine, and could understand how important Ana was for Natalya’s emotional wellbeing. The visiting nurse trained the new aide onsite to ensure that the care plan for Natalya was understood and checked out the safety of the apartment. A successful transition was made.

Checking on the patient, cat, and aide regularly, Maria continues to worry about her patient Natalya even though everyone is satisfied with the current arrangements. Should the aide move, should Natalya get sick, should the cat need to be removed from the apartment, these are real possibilities that Maria is concerned with. At Caring Professionals, concern is deep and real. And it covers the kit and caboodle!

 By Faigie Horowitz, MS 

---

A veteran nonprofit leader, Faigie Horowitz, MS is a columnist, motivational speaker and active community rebbetzin in Lawrence, NY.