The elderly are regarded as a very fundamental part of the African society. In most cultures within the continent, they are highly respected, honoured and cared for.
In places like Nigeria, it is not uncommon to find family members, distant relations and sometimes strangers, visiting these senior citizens for counsel. Due to their age and experience, they are often seen as the embodiments of great wisdom. This article explains the importance of elderly care in the society and the best way to do it today.
With the advancement in age comes a whole lot of changes. One of such changes is a decline in strength. A person may no longer be able to do some of the things he used to do for himself, as he wishes.
Apart from the physical changes that take place as people get older, there is also the mental change. Though that is not easily noticeable and doesn’t happens as fast as the physical, it for sure still occurs.
Elderly care has to do with putting this physical, mental and emotional needs of senior citizens into considerations and attending to them properly.
When Does An Elderly Require Special Care?
At what time is it necessary to arrange for some special care for a senior citizens? You may be wondering.
There is no particular fixed age at which an aged person must reach before he or she is specially cared for. For some, the need may arise as early as at 60 years of age. For some others, it may be at 70, 80 and above.
Instead of waiting till a person gets to a particular age before elderly care can be provided for him, it is best to do that as soon as the aged begins to have challenges with any of the activities of daily living.
What Are Activities of Daily Living?
Activities of daily living or ADLs as it is also called, refers to those day to day activities a person comfortably does for himself, without needing others help. Once a person can no longer do these for himself. He may need to be specially cared for from then.
Apart from old age, a medical condition can also lead to a problem with any of the ADLs.
The activities of daily living here are:
- Functional Mobility
Functional mobility here has to do with the ability to do simple things like getting in and out of a chair or bed, and moving different part of the body while performing activities. Once an aged person can no longer do this easily by himself, it’s time to provide elderly care for him.
- Self-Feeding
Self-feeding here doesn’t necessarily refer to the ability to work and provide for oneself. It rather refers to the ability to cook and eat a meal without others help.
The inability to properly feed oneself as a senior citizen seriously calls for elderly care.
- Bathing
For some senior citizens, their own challenge may not be with self feeding. For some, it is bathing or showering. The inability to take a proper bath or shower without any form of help from others.
- Dressing
Dressing is also one of the activities of daily living that also determines when special care should be given to an elderly. An aged person who cannot dress himself properly definitely needs all the care he can get.
- Toilet Hygiene
Toilet hygiene here includes getting to toilet, getting up from it and self-cleaning. The inability of an elderly to do any of these by himself, calls for special attention or care.
- Personal Hygiene
Brushing, grooming, shaving and every other personal care activity falls under this. If an elderly has a problem doing any of them by himself, then it is time to get them the right help.
The activities of daily living are often the primary indicators that it is time to put an elderly under professional care.
Common Reasons Why Elder Care Is Very Important In The Society
The following are just a few of the reasons that highlight the importance of elderly care in the society today.
- Increase In The Longevity Of Life
The provision of elderly care is one of the basic things that can lead to an increase in a person’s life span. A society with well equipped and functional elderly care homes, stands a better chance of having her citizens live a lot longer than any other.
This is the major reason governments of different developed nations treat elder care with every bit of seriousness. Even in developing nations, elder care is fast becoming a norm. Governments and non-governmental agencies, invest a lot of money into setting up and managing elderly care homes every year.
- Promotion Of Good Health Among Seniors
Medical check up and follow up to ensure strict adherence to doctor’s prescriptions, are part of the special care given to senior citizens. This medical care is very vital and help to promote good health among them.
Knowing their needs, experienced nurses, doctors and other health practitioners assigned to elderly care homes, work tirelessly to ensure that the seniors are in perfect health.
- It Creates A lifetime Of Happiness
By meeting the physical, mental and emotional needs of seniors constantly, you position them for a lifetime of happiness.
Without these needs being met, we will have elderly parents that are constantly unhappy, exhausted and struggling for survival.
In most elderly homes, seniors live together in one apartment or have different apartments which are situated very close to each other. These helps to promote interpersonal relationships among the aged from different backgrounds, tribes and languages.
By interacting and relating with each other on a daily basis, they live the rest of their lives happier than they would have been alone.
- Preservation Of Culture And Family Heritages
Nothing makes it easier for the culture of a people to be lost to civilization than the absence people who are well advanced in age and knows a whole lot about it.
The same can be said of family heritage which are highly cherished in the African society. Without the aged in the family, it becomes easier to lose some of these things.
To ensure that the seniors are always around to pass across their wealth of knowledge to the next generation, elderly care becomes a necessity.
In Summary
Elderly care is very important in the society as it helps meet the emotional, mental, health and physical needs of the senior citizens.
By giving special attention to providing professional help for our elderly parents, we build a society where our cultures, values and heritage can be properly preserved for many generations.