Registered old age homes and retirement homes in Roodepoort have been struggling to stay afloat because of the lack of financial support from the Government. To make matters worse, they have been on the receiving end of yet more bad news.
The Roodepoort Care of the Aged (RCA), a NPO registered to help specific retirement homes in their area, received the message early in the year that the Department of Social Development (DSD) would be withdrawing their financial support of the old age homes and that RCA had to reapply for funds.
In July, the RCA informed the retirement homes via a notice that was sent our, that from the end of July some of the caregivers would no longer be provided due to funding being halted by DSD. RCA also informed the homes that those with no elected committee would also not receive any more funding from the association.
Due to not having the necessary funds to supply the needed care to the nine old age homes in their stable, the RCA had to let some of the staff go. This left some of the homes with no (or, in some cases only one) caregiver, no cooks and no social workers. Yet, with DSD only supplying RCA with half of the normal budget, it was still expected of them to employ more staff, offer salary increases and supply more meals.
Since 25 February, RCA has been waiting for an answer from DSD regarding their reapplication for funding, but, in August they were told that the amount supplied will not be increased, leaving the RCA with no other choice than to close down at the end of September.
This decision left the old age homes in their care (Klein Helderkruin, Tornado Park, Davidsonville, Donovan MacDonald, Bram Fischer’s, Doornkop, Doornkop Thulani and Dobsonville) with a bleak future as they too face the possibility of being closed down.
With this black cloud hanging over their heads, a question needs to be asked: “What will happen to the elderly, seeing that they do not have an NPO helping them? Is it not the responsibility, value or mission to try and help them in every possible way and not just leave them in such a terrible state?”
Apart from the funding from the Department of Social Development, the retirement homes are lacking maintenance that is supposed to be provided by the City of Johannesburg (CoJ). Some of the residents have gone months without hot water because of a geyser problem that has not been fixed; there are electricity cables hanging out of the ceilings of the residents’ homes; water leaks (or no water at all); potholes in the pathways that the elders are supposed to walk every day; no working fire extinguishers; tiles on the stairs that are loose; washbasins that are leaking, and much more. There is also no transport to clinics or pharmacies to buy their medicines or take them to the doctor, as some of them are unable to drive themselves, or cannot get out of bed.
There have been cases of some of the elderly people that didn’t have food for more than a week, and others that couldn’t have a bath or be cleaned for over two weeks because of the lack of caregivers.
The Roodepoort Older Persons Forum (ROPF) has been trying its best to assist these old age homes where they can, by providing food and resources from their side. The ROPF is also looking into solutions to solve this distressing problem and to help the elderly live a better, stress-free live.
The Record approached both the DSD and the CoJ for clarity on these disturbing matters, but, by the time this article went to print, no correspondence had been received.
The community is being called upon to help sustain our elders, and try to prevent the homes from being closed down. If you want to help, visit your nearest old age home and see what they are in need of, even if it is just a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen.
