The Ogun State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Adijat Adeleye, has called for the establishment of old people or elderly care homes in the state, saying this would help them live longer.
Adeleye, while lamenting the decline in community-based support systems, stated that the elderly are being left unattended to, leading to untimely death and dementia for some.
The Commissioner stated this on Sunday while commissioning Bayink Care-Home in the Adigbe area of Abeokuta, Ogun State.
“These are people who have given their best to raise their children and who expected that in their old age, they are going to be taken care of. Before, husbands and wives would take their children to go and live with their parents, but these days we don’t find such again, and this has been detrimental to the health and well-being of our elderly.”;
According to the Commissioner, putting elderly parents in a care home would allow them to socialise with others of their own age, exchange stories, and stay active at all times.
“And that is why we are encouraging the setting up of old people or elderly people’s homes where they can find people of their age, people they can chat with, and people that can share their experiences with.
“One of the mistakes we make is that we build big houses for old parents without anybody being there with them. At times, we get all these house helps, maybe 12 or 18 years old; they cannot relate the way another old person will relate with our parents.”;
Stressing that becoming older does not imply that their lives have ended, the founder and CEO of Bayink Care-Home, Mrs. Olayinka Odumosu, stated that aged parents still have memories, stories, and a need for companionship.
Odumosu urged everyone to care for, cherish, and pay attention to their parents while they are still alive, rather than waiting to hold big parties when they are gone.
