Today we commemorate the International Day of the Older Person as recognized by the UN, for all their contributions towards the respective societies in which they live.We at HelpAge Ghana have been busy since the latter part of last week with preparations for today...
We organized a march to raise awareness on Saturday morning here in Osu. We walked hand in hand with the elderly that are part of our organization. I was so pleasantly surprised at how many elderly (and I'm talking those from 75+... even a 91-year-old!) actually completed the walk on their own-- with just the assistance of maybe their cane!
Oh, how I hope to age that well!
Sunday morning we went to an Anglican church in East Legon (where I used to live) for service. It was long and hot! They used so much frankincense throughout the entire service-- I was feeling quite euphoric by the end!
Then today we made our way to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital (the only one with a geriatric ward in all of Ghana) to the Geriatric Ward to commemorate today (the actual day as designated by the UN) with what my boss calls, 'the forgotten elderly of our society'.
A representative from the UN was there as well as government representatives from various Ministries to give addresses. A good number of our HelpAge members from their various zones all came out to mix and mingle with the patients at the hospital.
It was very nice... there was dancing, speeches, discussion surrounding the issues plaguing the Ghanaian elderly (no pensions, no health care plans/coverage, no legislation, poverty, HIV/AIDS, witch/wizard accusations, abandonment and the list goes on) and perhaps the cutest part of the day was the sharing of oranges...
My boss asked the HelpAge Ghana members to bring an orange to give to a patient at the hospital... and they did just that! It was so sweet.
I took many photo's with guess what?!... my new camera (thank you big time, Akiem)!
Yes, I have finally replaced all my stolen items from when I was robbed (a cell phone, camera and even sun visor!).
*For those interested, my cell phone # remains the same for you to call...
In speaking with many of the patients at the hospital, I found that many of the elderly were not in fact 'sick'. A growing trend in Ghana here is for grown children to 'dump' off their burdensome (usually economically) parents at the hospital... can you imagine?
Think about it...
you spend and sacrifice your best years to raise hard-working, respectful and decent children, only to have them forget all this as you transition towards the end of your life. It is almost unheard/unthought of back in Canada. At a time when you should be relaxing and enjoying retirement years, too many of the seniors in this country are struggling.
And I don't mean the frustrations that trail being a senior in North America...
I'm talking about an 80 year old woman living in a wooden shack, no income, no food and failing health. On top of all this, imagine being accused of being a witch and banned from the only community you have ever known.
Some of the stories of survival from some of these seniors is just heart wrenching.
I can't even imagine that happening to me when I grow older... or worse yet, happening to my Gramma now. It is true when they say, 'just when you think things in your life can't get worse, someone else is suffering more than you'.
One of the patients at the hospital pulled me aside and was speaking to me in french (they're very clever!), another used to be the head of the biggest hospital in London, England and now she has fallen ill and introduced herself to me as 'Rose, Princess of England'. She assured me, "I will be leaving the ward today to board a flight to Toronto"... then she began to sob. I didn't know why, so I asked a nurse what was wrong and she said, 'she's touched when people from outside take time to talk to her'.
Isn't that what we all want and crave as human beings though?
Is that not just a 'given' part of being a child of God?
For some, it is a distant dream I came to see today.
So on this October 1, I do hope you take the time to remember the elderly of the world struggling to survive and make their way with what little they have-- after all their years of toil and strife so we may live as freely as we do today.
Afterall, they were once like us and by all means, (& God willing) we will one day be just like them.
STILL missing you Robynne...
