A new private community-based centre has been established to provide care for the elderly. Although a relatively new concept in Kenya, providing care for senior citizens in an institution is gradually being accepted.
Run by a rural foundation in Siaya County, the respite and daycare centre hopes to serve the elderly aged 70 and above who will have to be assessed before being accepted.
With a recent survey showing Kenyans are embracing the idea of retirement homes, founders of Lois Ambitho Foundation, sponsors of the home, say they hope to touch lives by improving the quality of life for beneficiaries.
“After the launch next week, we will screen the elderly being registered as beneficiaries for efficiency and with the goal of reaching out and following up on their progress,” said Christine Langi, the director and a former nurse in the UK.
READ MORE
I considered killing my violent husband, woman says
Mothers cry for justice, call for ethical reporting
The project in Rarieda comes in the wake of a recent audit by the National Gender and Equality Commission which showed there are few institutions uniquely established for the care of old people, with the existing ones experiencing resource constraints.
“The audit revealed there are few faith-based and private institutions uniquely established for the care of older members of society in the six counties we visited,” commission chair Winfred Lichuma disclosed.
In Kiambu, Kericho, Vihiga, Machakos, Nairobi and Kajiado, according to the Commission's findings, the government does not own a single home for the elderly, leaving communities to rely on privately-sponsored hospices.
Langi, who put up the facility with support from well-wishers, says the project was started in memory of her mother Lois Ambitho whose leg was amputated after an accident.
“The challenges our family experienced when my mother was ill in terms of lack of community support for elderly people motivated me to set up this foundation,” she says.
Lack of professional advice on self-care strategies, poor communication and coordination of services, lack of information on the needed care and funding gaps are among the challenges facing homes for the elderly.
According to a United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs report, the number of senior citizens in Kenya is currently estimated at 4.5 per cent of the population, and is projected to double to 9.5 per cent by 2050, with the underlying challenge of poverty.
According to Help Age Kenya, more than half of the older members of the society live in absolute poverty and, “older people are typically among the poorest and most neglected.”
“We seek to raise funds to bring in ultrasound, ECG and blood pressure machines here besides a van, beds and exercise equipment among other necessities,” Langi said.
