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The Telhadinho.
The nursing home of the Parents and Friends of Mental Disabled Adults Association - CEDEMA, Lisbon, Portugal. The stronghold and sometimes the last resort, of those whom God seems to have forgotten: those empty eyes, faithfully staring nowhere. Quietly. Here the sun shows up only when dragged in by the employees. Ashes of light cutting thought the coldness of the walls. Employees are just as drums, bringing rhythm and energy, flooding those lost faces with colour: grabbing them to life still as human beings.
In Telhadinho there are schedules and common routines as well. Every "Good morning" comes in with those vital drums, bringing along normal hygiene habits – even though assisted - and all those leisure activities that "humanize" those who live there.
It is not easy to feel those abandoned bodies. These nursing homes, as aware as they can be, try to faithfully deny those difficulties. Every patient is allowed and respected there when nothing or no one seems to be able to. All types of stories and patients may come in, and they’re not always tails of abandonment: in some cases, misfortunes, from drowning to cruel and unpredictable accidents, in others, families can’t just often cope with the responsibilities and obligations that a person in these conditions require. These organizations ensure them that. They have an immeasurable human value, fighting back destiny and imposing themselves stubborn and dedicatedly to those patients miswritten faiths. The Telhadinho exists, and it must.
