I was an international student in Switzerland and became friends with an elderly couple. They let me call them grandma and grandpa and treated me like their granddaughter. We’ve spent Christmas together and I’ve met their entire family. It was like having a real family in a foreign country. We’ve known each other for over 10 years now.
Then I moved to the US for work 5 years ago. We kept in touch through WhatsApp and had video calls sometimes. Only grandpa had a smartphone and grandma never had one. Then grandpa passed away a few years ago. Since grandpa passed away, grandma has been depressed. She inherited grandpa’s phone, but she doesn’t know how to use it and is not interested in using it. She says it’s too difficult for her. She can’t drive, so she can’t leave her house since grandpa passed away. (They are in a rural town.) She has a son, but he is not very available. Now I can call her only through her son because I can’t call her landline with my data provider (it doesn’t allow roaming at all), and her son is the only one with a smartphone. I ask him on her birthday and Christmas and new year’s day etc to have a video call with her, but he isn’t always available to help me. I tried to call her last Christmas, but he only told me to call her psychiatrist clinic as she’s there. Again, I couldn’t call a landline number.
Today, I called her for her birthday and she was crying. She’s been badly depressed. I felt so awful. I’ve been trying to get a job in Switzerland to spend more time with her, but I’ve failed. It’s so difficult to get a job there as a non-EU/Swiss citizen even though I have a Swiss degree. My current job only gives me 2 weeks of vacation a year and I can’t even use it all at once, so I can visit her for maximum a week. She only speaks French, and my French has been getting worse and worse since I moved to the US as I don’t speak French at all anymore. So now we can’t even communicate so well.
I’m thinking about visiting her later this year. Maybe I can rent a car and take her to her favourite restaurant. But other than that, what can I do for her while I’m not with her in Switzerland? Anyone has any idea?
Also, please let me know if there are any job opportunities for foreigners who don’t speak fluent German or French. I have a master’s from HSG and 5 years of work experience in the public sector. I know I have almost no chance, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Update: Thank you to people who suggested Pro Senectute and Red Cross programmes. I just talked with a friend of hers to arrange it and she told me that nurses and home care aides are already visiting her regularly. I’m glad she at least has that. Please let me know if there are any other ideas to help her🙏