Newly appointed Tafta boss followed her passion

WHEN Femada Shamam walked through the doors of the then University of Natal, she was determined to study towards a Bachelor’s degree in computer science.

But, while browsing through the career course brochure she found her true calling – social work.

This proved to be the correct choice, she said, after a rewarding and uplifting career in the field, culminating in Shamam being appointed chief executive officer for The Association for the Aged (Tafta) this month.

The 42-year-old took over from Margie Smith.

“I feel truly blessed,” said Shamam, who added that she lived up to the motto, “Be more”.

“This, for me, means that in every aspect of your life and whatever you do for yourself and for others, always strive to be more,” she explained.

After qualifying with a degree in social work, the Phoenix mother of one joined the Tongaat Child Welfare on the North Coast as a junior social worker.

“I knew that being a social worker meant that you had to have a thick skin in order to handle the different situations the job throws at you.

“At the welfare, I witnessed first-hand how the HIV/Aids virus was destroying people and families. I also saw how rife domestic violence and child abuse were in our community.”

Shamam said while some of the cases she dealt with still haunted her, she believed they gave her a good grounding for where she was today.

After two and a half years with Tongaat Child Welfare, Shamam joined Tafta.

“I started as a home social worker at the Wentworth branch, working with patients in the frail care unit and, yet again, it was an eye-opener for me. The challenges the elderly faced were overwhelming.”

She said basic things like food, a place to live and medical care were not easily accessible.

“Apart from this, the emotional side to the patients was also overwhelming because many of the elderly did not feel like living because they could not physically contribute to society. They felt worthless.”

Shamam said abuse against the elderly remained rife.

“Emotional, physical and financial abuse are major issues. I spoke with patients whose children emotionally abused them by constantly calling them worthless, useless or a burden.”

She said some were beaten, while others said their children took their old age pension money or insisted they transfer their homes to their names.

“Once the transfer is done, the elderly person is kicked out of the home and left destitute. If an elderly person refuses to hand over his or her pension, then he or she is blackmailed by being told they will not get access to their grandchildren.”

Shamam said these issues form some of the cases they deal with today.

In 2003, Shamam’s compassion, dedication and vision thrust her into a management role – responsible for Tafta’s social agency and team of social workers.

“The transition from working directly with the elders to managing the staff and the programme presented an opportunity to effect change in a different way.

“My inspiration was drawn from the successes of the staff I led.

“Their joys, their achievements and their successes spurred me on to be better and do better.”

She was appointed chief operations officer last year.

As chief executive officer of Tafta, her goal is to add value and create a better life for residents.

“I sit on a committee called The Global World Network for the Aged and this organisation consists of various countries that come together to discuss ideas on how to care for the elderly. I will be looking at implementing some of these ideas in Tafta.”

For Shamam, the elderly must not be seen as burdens, but as libraries.

“If you take the time to speak to an elderly person, you would find that they have a wealth of knowledge and some have fascinating stories to tell.”