No Health care in Poland for the elderly? Insulin injections.

Hello Members

My daughter of 5 would finally like to have a vacation with her father.
She would like to bring her mother with her as she is to small to be without her mother.

This means grandma would be alone in Poland and needs a insulin injection twice a day and can not be alone and is unable to travel.

My ex has looked into this if there is help available from the Health System for 2 weeks.

Apparently she was told this is not there problem. And do not offer such help when there is any other family member alive who could do this.

The other living family member is also very far away and elderly and not able to or expected to help.

Is the health care system so bad in Poland??
What other options are available?

Thank you.

She could engage a private nurse to give the shots for a couple of weeks. There must be a nurse in the neighbourhood who would like to earn a little extra. If the injections are given using one-off self-administered syringes, a neighbour could do it if shown how.

No my ex said this is not possible.
Also she would not trust anyone else to give injections even a private nurse.
When it is done privately no one can be trusted.
I am told.
Basically I think it is a excuse to not travel.
Now she says her knee is bad and can not sit in the car 12 hours to travel.

It's either an excuse or she's afraid something may happen when she's away.

@jack1234

There are insulin pens. Idk the availability in poland as I'm not diabetic but I do know from working in the healthcare industry in the us that the pens have pretty much replaced the syringe and insulin vial method.

My grandma gets like a helper from the state for like 3 or 4 days a week but they help her with mostly house keeping groceries etc.

You'll habe to call ZUS or just find some young polish girl to watch her for like 12 zloty an hour or whatever the appropriate wage is. Giving an insulin shot isn't complicated

It can be complicated because the diabetic has to monitor their blood sugar level and sometimes adjust the dose. The injection pens couldn't be simpler but the condition needs monitoring, so a nurse is the best option.

It sounds like the same exact problem I had taking care of a family member who was in her 80's.
She counted on me for everything.
Every time I was leaving for Jamaica for a month or two she immediately came down with a serious sickness.
I fell for it the first time and then found out she was just fine and pulling my leg because she didn't want me to leave her.

That gave me two options (A) cancel my vacation (B) put my foot down and out smart the old girl without being mean.
The second time I gave her options, like you have, and she refused them all because I had spoiled her and she wanted no one but me in her house.

So sad to bad, here are your choices (A) home health care worker to come in (B) be put in an old peoples home (C) be confined to the hospital with real sick people.

She blew a gasket so I took her to the Dr. telling him the problem.
We diagnosed her with a fake bladder infection and committed her to a three day stay in the hospital and to be released to an old peoples home for rehab for ten days.

She was released back to her home only after she agreed to a daily home health care worker.


Sure it is an excuse as old people can get very creative to get their demands met.
They are like little children that stomp their feet for ice cream before dinner.
Old people slowly lose their independence which frustrates them.
That can be taken away but NEVER take their dignity away from them because that is all they have left.
However you have your own life and grandma has hers.
Help her all you can but don't let her instill a guilt trip or pity party to disrupt you and your family's life.


Perfect as in those two weeks she will be waited on like never before and get comfortable with it freeing your life up.
The trick is to find an older health care worker that is compatible with grandma's life style.
This advise comes from sixteen years of first hand experience as my cantankerous Polish aunt live to be 86 after she was handi capped at 70.
Hope this was some insight and help to you.

@johnny reb

My mom does that exact same thing lol. Not so much for me to like not leave her but more so to help her around my rents house w things like cleaning laundry etc. I usually stop by like 2 3 times a week usually 2 times like to help out n then dinner on a weekend. I don't rly mind it bc they've helped me out when I was younger. I sure as hell will never put my rents in a nursing home unless they're like extremely sick n need constant care.