Safe sanctuary for lonely, forgotten elders
FOR some people, getting older is a challenge and a half, with fears around ageing being that you become less attractive, less agile and the butt of jokes.
The Lindanisizwe Community Development Centre aims to look after the elderly who cannot look after themselves, and provide support for them. The organisation, formed in 2014, has become a safe space for the elderly in Emndeni, Soweto, and surrounding areas.
“We do home-based care for the elderly who cannot look after themselves. We bathe, feed, and clean the areas they are in,” says project manager Busisiwe Nkabinde.
The organisation has 11 community health workers caring for the elderly, who cannot afford to be sent to an old age home or be admitted to one. The carers are responsible for 10 patients each, spread between the areas of Emndeni, parts of Zola and Jabulani in Soweto.
They also offer social space for the elderly, assist with a vegetable garden that is looked after by the aged and help those who knit and sew.
Nkabinde says they allow the elderly to form relationships with the carers, but some of the situations they come across are heartbreaking.
“Sometimes when the carers arrive they find that ugogo, who is bed-ridden, has been left in her room for the weekend, often without food. Then the carer has to assist in cleaning her, feed her and clean the room,” she says.
In a heart-rending case, one of their patients had been repeatedly sexually abused by her son. “That was a difficult case because ugogo would not admit her son was violating her. And each time we got to help her, even with social workers, she just wouldn’t admit it. Then she finally did,” Nkabinde says.
“Taking a stand against ageism” is the UN’s theme for the International Day of Older Persons observed each year on October 1.
Fikile Khumalo, an administrator at the centre, says they have to educate the community about such issues. The response has been positive, she adds.
Dinah Mazibuko, 77, who was an active citizen both politically and socially, says the lack of respect shown for older persons is an issue for her.
“There is a lack of respect for older people. Even the way people treat us is disrespectful,” Mazibuko says.
Joyce Mthethwa, 69, says the centre is a safe haven for them.