In December 1994 the St. Joseph's Congregation established “St. Joseph’s Home” as a memorial of the 50th death anniversary of our Founder Rev. Fr. Thomas Poothathil. It was started on 2nd January 1993 and was blessed by His Excellency Bishop Mar Kuriakose Kunnacherry.
St. Joseph’s home is a hospice for terminally- Ill cancer patients, built close to the Kottayam Medical college. It is a charitable institution. The administration and management of this institution is done by St. Joseph’s congregation. 40 patients can be accommodated at a time in St. Joseph’s home. So far 900 patients are admitted in this Institution out of these 520 patients expired from this home.
We provide service to all categories of cancer patients, irrespective of caste and creed most of the patients will be having smelling wounds and maggot may be moving around. We are given tender loving palliative care and are prepared for a peaceful, joyful, and dignified death. The doctors of the Medical College, especially of the cancer department, offer their services to the terminally ill patients at this Hospital, sisters prepared the patients, psychologically and spiritually to accepts the diagnosis and have a peaceful death. We have concrete cemetery (vault) for burying the dead body which has no one to claim.
Jyotir Bhavan is a home for the HIV/AIDS patients, run by St. Joseph’s Congregation, Kottayam, founded by Rev. Fr. Thomas Poothathil, to realize his above mentioned inspirational words.
In this institution patients abandoned by their near and dear ones receive love, care and acceptance. It provides palliative care to those who are in the end stage of HIV/AIDS. The Motto of Jyotir Bhavan is “Love and Serve”
Most of the patients who come to Jyotir Bhavan are referred from Medical College, or some time left at the gate by someone. The sisters receive these patients whole heartedly without any discretion of caste or creed. All services provided at Jyotir Bhavan are free of cost, and all the care and services are provided by the Sisters of St. Joseph’s itself.
Objectives
The objectives of this institution are the following:
St. Joseph’s Congregation themselves provide all the necessary care to these patients with almost love and patience.
To mention a few of them:
The patients and their family members are given counseling so that they will be able to accept the patient and the disease. The nature of the HIV/AIDS, the mode of communication of the disease etc are also described to them. One of the most challenging responsibility of the care providers of Jyotir Bhavan is to prepare the clients in the acute stage and their family to accept the inevitable consequence of HIV/AIDS death. Through spiritual counseling, prayer and love, those patients are prepared for a peaceful death. The peace and self acceptance that the inmates receive makes them feel more comfortable. In care of serious condition and death of the patients the family members or relatives are contacted and arrangements are made to hand over the body. In case of nobody claims the dead body they will be buried in the concrete cemetery (vault) attached to Jyotir Bhavan, under the responsibility of St. Joseph’s Sisters. By serving the bedridden and the most sick patients sisters obtain a lot of joy by making them happy which lead both of them to a greater God experience. At present Jyotir Bhavan can accommodate only 10 patients, we request all the kind hearted to support and help us in all our plans for developments to make Jyotir Bhavan a heaven for many more abandoned HIV/AIDs patients. Your small deeds of kindness can go a long way in alleviating human suffering
Address: Jyotir Bhavan, Care & Support Centre for AIDS Patients, Gandhinagar, P.O., Kottayam, Kerala 686 008
Tel. 0481-2598490/ 9496114710
