My Polish - Nursing assistants from Eastern Europe (Swiss Press Text 2011, by Miriam Glass) - Swiss Press Award

Basler Zeitung

Miriam Glass

More and more elderly people in Switzerland want to be cared for at home, but cannot or do not want to afford local caregivers. Filling this gap are caregivers from Eastern Europe who move in with the people in need of care and are on-site 24 hours a day. They often work in a legal gray area, earning around 1,500 francs a month. This journalist visits one such caregiver at her place of work. The location (which would establish a connection to local journalism) cannot be disclosed for privacy reasons.