We all pray for long life. In fact we all want to avoid death at all cost and so we do many things to stay alive. We exercise; those who can afford to eat balance diet do that; we go for check-ups as often as we can. We do a whole lot of things to stay alive. Unfortunately, we never get younger as each day goes by and we grow every moment we are not dead. The consequence of this is old age.
The Statistics and C****omparisons
According to a United Nations report on ageing, there are over 962 million aged people (60 years and older) in the world today and it is estimated that this number would be more than double by 2050. I don’t know how old you would be by then ;-). This is basically due to the advancement in health care technologies and the introduction of systems that enhance longevity. In the olden days, people would just die anyhow out of some small illnesses but now it is not so.
Diseases are easily detected and treated earlier nowadays before they cause much harm to the victims as compared to some years ago. The Spanish Flu that lasted for only two years (from 1918 to 1920) had a death toll of 75,000,000 worldwide, while the 2012 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus outbreak (from 2012 to present) has had a death toll of 449 or a little more than that. So statistically, it means human beings are devising ways to live longer (of course not like the times of Methuselah and the rest).
Taking Care Of Our Older selves
I don’t know too much about elsewhere, but in Africa and in Ghana to be precised, our older people used to be supported by the extended family system. For example, a grandchild would be made to live with his or her grandparent to take care of the basic needs. It was done in such a way that the child may not even set foot in a classroom just because he/she is taking care of the elderly. Now this is not the case anymore. The nuclear system has set in and eventually, everyone wants his/her child to be in school and so this system which used to support the aged is steadily breaking done.
Additionally, the economic and other social related issues are making the neglect of the aged in rampant. This is not to say all elderly people are left to their fate in Ghana, some are properly being cared for by their families despite the economic, social or whatever factors. But even with this, loneliness is a big problem for the aged when all the children leave the house to schools and work places.
Unfortunately, only a little is being done to avert the situation in favor of the aged as at now. There are no proper policies in place to meet the challenges of ageing in the country and this is where an NGO I volunteer for comes in.
TABITHA Ghana has as its mandate to render free services for the aged in poor communities. This is done through volunteerism most of the time.
Our activities include;
- Occasional free medical screening for the aged.
- Food provision for selected poor households. Especially those who are bedridden.
- Income generating activities for the aged who have some strength to work.
- Provision of companionship.
- Spiritual and psychological care.
Time to Volunteer
All the activities listed above are done through volunteerism. We have a group of volunteers who come to support us whenever we need them. We have 12 nurses from various hospitals in the country and a doctor who take care of the health needs. We also have preachers who visit the clients as and when they are needed to help them psychologically and scriptural.
I am one of the volunteers and I love it. My work requires me to lead the volunteers to the various houses and Google Maps is our companion.
Why I Do this
I know definitely that I will grow old one day. I know that my parents will be older than they are now. I know that you, yes you, who is reading this post will also grow older one day. I don’t know what the future holds for us and so now, I want to play my part to prepare a convenient environment for the elderly in the near future. I also want to take people along on this journey. I believe you have the heart to help the aged and you are either doing it now or you will start soon.
What You Can Do Now
- Show respect to the elderly no matter how they are related to you.
- Be kind to them. Put yourself in their situations.
- Spend quality time with your grandparents or elderly parents.
- Don’t disregard their advises, it makes them feel unimportant.
- Encourage people and organizations that are helping the aged in any means possible.
- Put yourself in the shoes of an elderly person and treat him/her the way you would want to be treated.
- Teach others to do same.
Thanks for reading this #ConnectWritingChallenge post!! You can click here to find out more about the challenge and what it takes to make a great Connect post! And feel free to let me know what you think about my post! Do you like it? Do you think it makes for a great reading?
#letsguide