A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Peaceful Streams Foundation (PSF), on Tuesday, opened a free daycare facility for elderly people living in Bodija, a suburb of Ibadan in support of increasing number of the older people in the country.
PSF’S initiator, Dr Oluyinka Adeyemi said the daycare facility, an inspiration The Stone Church, Bodija received, was to ensure it meets the need of the teeming older population in the community where it has been in operation for over 20 years.
According to her, many of the elderly in the community had invested in different spheres of Nigeria’s development but are now faced with loneliness, lack, poverty, and medical conditions that leave them vulnerable.
Dr Adeyemi said as a church, it was decided that a free daycare facility for elderly people living in Bodija would be a “good work” to support, appreciate and ensure they are happy and age gracefully in the twilight of their lives.
In a remark, Professor Temitope Alonge, a member of the board of trustees of PSF, stated that loneliness is a problem of older persons and they are often abused because their careers are not trained on home care for the elderly.
He stated that the day-care facility would afford them the opportunity to interact with their peers, make friends, be active, access emotional and spiritual support as well as medicare if they need to have their health or medication reviewed.
Professor Alonge stated that PFS intends to organise training for careers of the elderly and urged that Nigeria further give cognisance to older persons.
Alonge, the former Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital, Ibadan stated that neglect of the elderly can spell doom for Nigeria, considering that the successes of the Western world today is also premised on their great regard and respect for their older persons.
“Between the ages of 60 and 75 years is the most productive age. The knowledge base is higher after the age of 60, but that is when the Nigerian government will retire them. That is an irony and is actually unfortunate,” he said.
The don, however, called for increased support of the government for the care of the elderly in the country through the establishment of more facilities considering projections of an explosion in the number of elderly people in the country.
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