By Santos Akinloye Africa Correspondent, Miracle Touch Nursing
The truth is that it’s really hard for most seniors to acknowledge that they need help when it comes to matters concerning their health. When they reach the point of assistance, they are often confronted with their own limitations. In most cases, these limitations worsen over time. But the elders often sound it aloud that the duty of the young is to provide for the seniors. As depicted in this Yoruba sayings, “Bi okete ba dagba, omu omo re ni mun” meaning, when a grass-cutter gets old, it survives on the support of its children.
Africa used to be one of the world’s best places to grow old. Old age was regarded as a blessing, and the elderly revered as sacred as the link between the living and the ancestors, the holders of wisdom and culture. Believably, most Africans shudder with horror at the thought of placing old relatives in nursing homes.
But, today, times are changing, and for the elderly, radically so. The growing influence of western style education, free-market economy (globalization) and accelerated migration has virtually crippled the traditionally known extended family care system. In other words, the African traditional forms of caring for the older people are breaking down. Older people are often excluded from development programs by the government, and likewise discriminated against by services such as health care.
In Nigeria, the National Health Insurance Scheme [NHIS] excludes the care for persons above 60 years. Even if you are part of the scheme, once you retire from government employment, your health insurance policy expires. In many other African countries, there are no dedicated hospitals or health care center that caters specifically for the elderly. All these have led many Diaspora Africans to take their seniors abroad, not minding the consequences.
It is common knowledge that remittances being sent home by Diaspora Africans are huge. Many economists believe that these remittances exceed what the continent receives in the form of foreign aid from foreign donors in Official Development Assistance [ODA]. This shows that the Diaspora Africans really care about the people back home not just in their words but in their deeds as well. These allowances are often are majorly used to support aging parents.
Despite the contribution of Diaspora Africans and throngs of retirees to the economy, senior people in Nigeria and in most African countries still experience deepening poverty, discrimination, violence and abuse. Even, the retirees are unable to access entitlements that are rightfully theirs. But, should we allow our senior to suffer? Remit money for a specific purpose without getting the desired result? Or find out that the remittances are mismanaged or embezzled? Without any doubt, the whole some answer is definitely no.
Fortunately, our quest is to make life easier and stress free for the elderly in Africa. Hence, we are introducing to you our service-focused home health care service that is modeled in helping seniors stay in their homes affordably. Our services are focused on the following providing skilled home healthcare workers, such as Registered Nurses to assisting the elderly in all areas pertaining to managing their health in the comfort of their homes.
It is a known fact that home healthcare is now viewed by many as a viable alternative to lengthy hospital stays. Also, seniors today show a propensity towards in-house healthcare rather than old people’s home or assisted living facilities. Miracle Touch Nursing stands out among the senior care franchise on the African continent because of the quality of its experienced and well-trained nurses. At MIRACLE TOUCH NURSING, helping the elderly stay in their own homes affordably is more than a business, its our passion. We invite you to navigate our website for more information and resources.