NGO advocates welfare laws to cater for aged in society

Founder of a non-governmental organisation, Aged Heart Care Foundation (AHF), Chief Esan Ogunleye, has advocated the enactment of laws that will cater for the old persons in the society as it is practiced in civilised countries.

The founder, who is the Atayese of Mobaland, tasked the three tiers of government to enact relevant laws that will look after the welfare of the elderly persons in the society.

He called on the government to emulate civilised countries that aside from building homes for the elderly also cater for their needs, including health.

Ogunleye said the poor living standard of the aged prompted him to establish the organisation in 2008 in Ilupeju-Ekiti, Ifeloju Local Council Development Area, to cater for the aged in the area, adding that 186 elderly persons had benefited from the foundation.

He made the disclosure  while speaking to journalists at the 15th anniversary of the foundation in Ilupeju Ekiti.

He bemoaned the ways elderly persons are being neglected in the society by their relations, adding that this informed his resolve to look after their wellbeing.

The founder, who reiterated that ageing is a natural phenomenon which occurrence should not be regarded as a disease, said; “My frequent presence at home afforded me the opportunity to observe what the aged are passing through, mostly when their children and relatives left the community for greener pasture. Their aged parents are left at the mercies of relatives who could hardly cater for themselves, let alone the aged parents

“We have 45 members presently that we are catering for; we pay them monthly stipends, though it may not be enough for their upkeep but it is a relieve to their families, any of them whose condition needs medical attention, we take them to hospital for treatment and we foot their bills and conducted regular checks up on them.”