A residential facility for older persons in the Western Cape this week recorded a Covid-19 related death, while a number of new infections were reported at another facility in the province. Elri Voigt asks how well are older persons in SA protected?
Elri Voigt asks whether everything is in place to protect our older persons from the expected surge in Covid-19 cases.
“We know that the Covid-19 has a specific impact on the health and wellbeing of older people,” Geffen says. There are now reports of family members fearing for the safety of their older relatives after four other elderly residents and 11 staff members at the same facility tested positive.Geffen is also the head of a task team of representatives from various Residential Care Facilities and other organisations that work with the elderly in the Western Cape.“Communication from the department of social development to funded facilities has been extremely limited,” Geffen says.
“The departments of social development and health [in the] Western Cape therefore developed a detailed guideline to prevent and manage Covid-19 within residential facilities such as old age homes,” Chigome said. He said the department of health in the Western Cape has been “proactive by screening and testing old age homes in specific hotspot areas – even if the home did not request assistance”.
“Ultimately each sector, employer and institution should ensure the screening of their own employees and clients – this includes old age homes through the support of social development,” van der Heever said. A Neighbourhood Old Age Homes resident, Doreen Stoltenkant , explains that while she can stay in contact with her family, the lack of face-to-face interaction was getting to her.
“I was all alone, which was very, very sad. Usually I spend it with my children, and it was not very nice being all alone here,” she says.And while she is thankful for what she has, Stoltenkant is also experiencing some emotional dips because of lockdown.
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