Elderly desperately seek shelter following KZN unrest
Founder of The Elder's Voice KZN, Joanne Herbst, seeks interim solutions for displaced elderly people.
COLD and neglected with very little hope. These are the conditions some elderly people are currently faced with.
This is according to the founder of The Elder’s Voice KZN, Joanne Herbst, who has been inundated with pleas for help.
Following almost a week-long civil unrest in the province, she said many seniors have been left to fend for themselves. Desperate to help, she put a video on Facebook asking residents to assist with ideas for a short-term solution.
“We found that many elderly people had not had the opportunity to get their groceries. A lot of them have pets for which they don’t have food for but the disturbing cases are of those who live in outbuildings in the back of people’s yards.”
“The agreement with their landlords is to pay a rental amount and then they get fed from the main house. A lot of these people have now been asked to leave or are told that the family does not have enough food to feed themselves, let alone them,” she said.
She added that most phone calls she’s received were from displaced men who are crying to her, begging for accommodation.
“We’ve got absolutely no space whatsoever and no food to spare either. But what we have we will share with whoever we’ve got and do whatever we can to help,” she said.
Her interim solution is a plea from the community and businesses at large for a temporary shelter donation. The shelter would be used for the time being, she said.
“I’ve got quite a bit of furniture between the houses that we could pull from here and there to set up the house. We will know that they’re safe and will be fed. I can spare a caregiver or two to assist them in the house.”
“There is nothing worse than thinking that there are old people out there who have nowhere to go. A lot of them rely on public transport to get from point A to B.”
“I’m also worried about those who need medication such as the diabetic who needs to eat constantly over a short period,” she said adding that she welcomes other suggestions from the community.
The Elder’s Voice KZN is home to many senior citizens in Montclair and Amanzimtoti. It was established to assist in fighting for the rights of the aged, which allows them to live with dignity in their old age.
They uphold their mission to strengthen elderly independence, their quality of life and prevent mental, physical and emotional abuse from taking place.
To get involved call 079 028 6379 or like their Facebook page @eldersvoicekzn.
