Words For Moolah

Do Filipino caregivers face any risk of violence in their work abroad?

A caregiver friend of mine who works in Greece once told me that taking care of cranky elderly patients can sometimes prove dangerous to ones health. He pointed out that if there's one thing he learned in his line of work it's that one can never be too careful.

I believed him especially after he told me about this one incident involving a flying pair of smelly dentures. Apparently, he walked in on this particular patient of his as she was trying on a new housedress. As can be expected, his patient got startled. As my friend tried to apologize, this old lady spat out her dentures and decided to use them as projectiles. My caregiver friend took evasive action but realized too late that Neo's bullet dodging moves don't work in the real world.

I think he still has the scar on his forehead, which now serves as a reminder to always knock first before entering an old woman's room.

Anyway, beyond encounters with aerodynamic sets of false teeth, I don't think Filipino caregivers face any real threat to their persons. But, I could be wrong.

Check out this ad which I saw in one of our nationally circulated newspapers last Wednesday. I think it may be an indication of the kind of situation that awaits our caregiver friends abroad and the sort of action they have to take to protect themselves.