Premier visits Alex
MEC for social development Nandi Mayathula-Khoza says senior citizens who are abused should report it immediately.
Gauteng senior citizens pleaded with premier David Makhura to make their lives easier.
This happened during a dialogue between senior citizens, Makhura, social development MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza and elders from the province.
Through these dialogues, the provincial legislature plans to ensure that senior citizens have better living conditions.
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Makhura said one of the plans in the pipeline to ensure that the elderly are comfortable, will include the delivery of chronic medication to their doorsteps.
“On the day of your appointments to fetch chronic medication at clinics, most of you spend most of the day at the clinic queuing for medication. There are plans to get your medication delivered to your doorsteps to make sure that you are as comfortable as possible,” said Makhura.
The elders of Alex told Makhura that senior citizens who are ill, are abandoned in their homes. They pleaded with Makhura to persuade the government to increase frail-care centres where the sick can go for medical care.
“[One] of the challenges we face as the elderly is that there are not enough frail-care centres for us… and some are even neglected by their families, who leave them to take care of themselves,” Nokuthula Sibiya said.
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She said the government can assist by building more daycare and frail-care centres for ill senior citizens who are left to take care of themselves.
“Government can employ legitimate well-trained doctors and nurses at these centres to take care of them and ensure that they receive the care they deserve.”
She also said that some old people do not have access to their own grant money because family members take that money for themselves.
“We plead with the government to deal with those that take the elderly’s grant money. The elderly should rather be subsidised since their pension money is being taken away from them.”
In response, Mayathula-Khoza said Sibiya made valid points. The issues will be discussed with the relevant people and they will come back with an answer.
Other issues that were highlighted included the poor infrastructure of facilities for the government’s ‘Active Ageing’ programme, difficult access to healthcare facilities, little support for small businesses and poor administration of the Metrorail senior citizens’ fare rates.
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Mayathula-Khoza said the elders’ concerns were heard and will be taken up with the relevant departments.
“Once we have discussed these issues with the relevant people, we will come back and give you feedback.”
Mayathula-Khoza said senior citizens were important to the community and their safety was of the utmost importance. “If you are or know of someone who is being abused, the department of social development is available to help you on the tollfree number 24 hours a day.”
Abused elders can contact the social development department on 0800 204 190.
