NGO offers free health service for the aged in Lagos

A non-governmental organisation, ‘Women of Essence’ with headquarters in the Republic of Ireland, has offered free health care for elderly people from age 60 and above in Lagos.

Addressing participants at the event which took place in Onilekere, Lagos, a public health practitioner, Mr. Alamiyo Idowu, advised the elderly persons to involve in foster grand parenting as it helps develop their mind and look healthy.

Idowu, who spoke to the participants on the topic ‘Life Expectancy, Wellness and the Senior Citizens,’ said foster grand parenting involves using their past to counsel the youth on how to avoid mistakes that could endanger their lives in future.

His words: “Reevaluation of our past living will help the youths correct their mistakes as it also has a psycho-social effect on the thinking of the elderly. There should also be self-acceptance, this will give meaning to one’s life in old age.”

He counseled participants on successful aging preparations such as establishing good health habits in the teenage years and the twenties, developing important relationship during the 20s and 30s and settling into a particular lifestyle, assessment of financial status and perhaps adjustment of savings in order to continue the kind of lifestyle earlier developed must follow by mid 40s, by mid 50s, reevaluation of health insurance plan and some retirement housing plans should be considered and In 70s, 80s and 90s the need to consider ways of sharing legacy with the next generation.

Chief Executive and the convener of Women of Essence, Mrs. Tosin Popoola, said she founded the organisation in 2003 in the Republic of Ireland with the aim of celebrating womanhood adding that many women are going through a lot of abuse without anyone to talk to.

“It is a non-governmental organisation that is about coming together for advocacy, educating and reaching out to the community. It is about celebrating ourselves as women while making a difference in our society, the Women of Essence has metamorphosed into so many things part of which we are having today by giving back to our community,” she said.

Popoola said she grew up in the environment before relocating to the Republic of Ireland with her family but decided to come back to the community and give back to the elderly that raised her by giving them free health care.

“Having related with so many women on the platform of my NGO , I realised that African women are full of potentials but they lack the capacity and the capability to launch out their potentials, some Nigerian women are timid because of the societal belief that women are meant to be in the kitchen but this shouldn’t be because we are embodiment of God’s gift and we need to showcase this gift”.

The convener explained further that some women lack self-esteem and self-confidence and because of this they are just sitting down on their gift, not reaching out adding that her organisation is going to focus on this by creating avenue for women to showcase themselves so that their voices can be heard.

She said part of her outreach programme is the free health treatment for the aged because many of them are dying in ignorance as some of the sicknesses that are killing the elderly persons are those that are treatable but due to lack of awareness they die in silence.

“This event involves health tests and to educate them on the type of food they are supposed to eat at this age as well as on their general well-being. We will also do follow up on the tests conducted for them and advise those that have been detected to have some kinds of diseases to go to the general hospital for further treatment,” she said.

Coordinator for the Nigerian Women of Essence, Mrs. Elizabeth Ogunmuyiwa explained that the tests involves diabetes, glaucoma, prostate enlargement among elderly men and high blood pressure, which is peculiar to most Nigerian women saying it is a way of nurturing those that have nurtured them.

“We don’t want the old people in our community to feel left out or neglected, we want them to have hope and give them a sense of belonging in the community. They have nurtured us and it is time for us to nurture them back.