National Older Persons’ Week – raising awareness of issues affecting the elderly
Community members were taught about dementia care in awareness of National Older Persons’ Week.
OVER 200 people took to the streets to promote the well-being, safety and security of older persons as part of a joint Dementia Awareness Campaign and in support of National Older Persons’ Week, which runs from September 26 to October 2.
This drive is commemorated annually in South Africa to honour and pay tribute to seniors and raise awareness on issues impacting them.
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Throughout the years, elderly people affected by dementia have suffered severely at the hands of community members who are unaware of what the disease is and how it affects the elderly.
Through the two-day Dementia Awareness Campaign, the Issy Geshen Lamont Home for the Aged, The Bessie Makhathini Foundation (BMF), eThekwini Senior Citizens Forum, Muthande Society for the Aged and other stakeholders came together to make Lamontville more dementia-friendly.
The Dementia Walk on September 20, funded by the Department of Social Development, started at 10:00 in Gwala Road and ended at Issy Geshen Lamont Home for the Aged.
Furthermore, on World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21, the elders met at the Muthande Society for the Aged to raise awareness about the stigma surrounding dementia. This event featured a full day’s programme with Diabetes SA, the Heart and Stroke Foundation offering glucose testing, BMF and a psychiatrist’s address on dementia.
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Educating the community about dementia care, Nelisiwe Ngwazi, the social worker at Issy Geshen Lamont Home, said, “There are a lot of misconceptions about dementia and Alzheimer’s. People living with dementia are still considered ‘mad’ or to be practising witchcraft and are not the easiest to care for. They often refuse to take baths, eat and are sometimes violent towards their caregivers.”
The day concluded with the home’s choir, made up of people living with dementia, providing some entertainment.
The Issy Geshen Lamont Home relies on the generosity of the public to provide for their beloved elders. The home is appealing to individuals and businesses to bring warmth and dignity to the elderly through the donation of adult nappies.
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