By Chinedu Adonu

In its continuous advocacy for an end to abuse of elderly persons, three non-governmental organizations, the DewDrop Foundation, DDF, Care for Adolescents and Women Development initiative and Pietan Caring Mission for the poor, have restated their support for elderly persons in Enugu.

They made this commitment in Enugu, on weekend, during an engagement with over 500 elderly persons as part of an event to mark the 2023 world day for Elder Persons.

The founder and Executive Director of Dewdrop foundation, Mrs Agatha Nnaji, said that the event was to remind the older persons how important they are to the society and to restore their hope for a better life.

While calling on the younger generation to support and appreciate the older people in our society, Nnaji disclosed that the elderly pass through a lot of difficulty and may die before their time if not taken care of.

“It is a celebration of life while we are life. We are all getting older and we become aged as we progress in life. So anybody 60 and above has a lot to thank God for. So today, we are being recognised and we are celebrating the life God has given us. Elderly have a lot of value. They have a lot they can give to society and they are willing to do that.

“Unfortunately, the younger generation forget the fact that they want to grow old, they don’t want to die young. They need to start to appreciate the old generation, they need to understand what the older generation suffers, the challenges they go through and see how to support them,” she said.

“We have to continue pursuing the proposed Enugu State Elderly Persons Bill with the current House of Assembly. We are discussing with other people to pick the bill up when the Assembly starts sitting.

Earlier, the Executive Director of Pietan Caring Mission for the poor, Sis, Mary-Jude Theresa said that celebrating and taking care of elderly persons is necessary because many homes abandoned and neglected their aging mother and father due to ignorance of what they represent and their values in the society.

“We gathered to bring our right holder, the elderly together to celebrate, rejoice and relax because aging is a blessing.

“I took care of my mother and that’s one of the inspirations that made me take care of others because I discovered that some of them have been neglected by their children. So, the elderly are taken care of because they are the gap between the young and dying.

“The elderly people are the custodian of culture and tradition, whenever you are looking for anything about culture or tradition, they’re the one to meet for clarification and that’s why we are trying to make them remember what their work was. The society is failing us today because the elderly are not doing what they’re supposed to do and that’s why we’re gathering them to remind them that they are aged does not mean they’re useless,” she said.

She reminded the younger generation that when they take care of the elderly persons, they prepare for their own old age.

The Executive Director of Care for Adolescents and Women Development initiative, Mrs Azuka Egbuonu, charged the younger ones to give the older persons respect that is due to them, knowing that one day they will become old.

She also appealed with both federal and state governments to accommodate older people while making policies and stop calling them dead woods.

In a goodwill message, the Asst. Director National Health Insurance Authority, NHIA, Mr. Smart Udo, assured the elderly of the federal government plans to deliver a free medical care to the elderly

“Old persons world day is a good initiative because it is not easy to be old. When you get to a certain age, your health needs begin to increase and that is where the National Health Insurance Authority has a big role to play, especially now that health insurance has been made compulsory in Nigeria.

“All these old people that are gathered here today should have one insurance package or the other, so as to stop them from spending so much in health. We don’t want them to incur what is called catastrophic health expenditure where you are spending a proportion of money you will use to eat in health care,” he said.

One of the beneficiaries, octogenarian, Chief Linus Onovo, commended the groups for finding it worthy to take care of them, adding that aging is a blessing from God.

The 84 year old man from Nkanu East local government area of Enugu State, prayed that God will give their children a listening ear to obey their parents and live long.

Chief Onovo begged the Enugu State government to come to their aid before hunger would kill them, adding that they need palliative measures to cushion the effect of hunger in the land and restore their faith to live.

In attendance was the representative of the National Human right commission, Enugu State Ministry of gender affairs and many others.

The highlight of the event was the cultural dance and march past of the well attended elderly people.