The safety and welfare of old people at care homes has come under scrutiny following reports of mistreatment and abandonment by their next of kin.
It has also emerged that more often than not, some family members who visit their relatives at such facilities, only do so to exploit their vulnerability and extort them of the little cash they have from their old age pension pay outs.
During a recent visit to one such establishment, at the Reitumetsi Church Project in Mazenod, some of the old men and women told this publication that that their family members had not come to see them in a long time.
One of them, Ketseletso Monakaleng from Mohale’s Hoek, claimed her children have abandoned her and she was left to her own devices.
Monakaleng has little recollection of when she ended up at the centre, except that she was ‘dumped’ there by one of her children. Since then, none of them has bothered to check up on her.
But what she knows is that she is desperate to leave the old age home which she says is not a nice place to stay.
“Life is not nice …” she mumbled unintelligibly before abruptly switching off, an indication of loss of concentration.
Monakaleng went on to claim that the staff at the home do not have proper human relations skills as they are ‘very rude’.
Another equally senile old-timer, Letsatsi Majoane (82) from Teyateyaneng, is wheelchair-bound; he too laments that he has never been visited by relations since being committed to the centre.
“We are not expected to complain about anything while we live here. We would want someone to help us with clothes and money. I do everything for myself, from laundry to bathing. I even go the toilet unassisted,” he said.
Reitumetse Church Project is an old age home and orphanage founded in 1984 by the Catholic Church. It provides shelter for the elderly in one location while another location in the same area houses orphaned girls.
In order to sustain itself, the project rears chickens and has recently started a vegetables production project both for selling and for feeding its residents.
As of 2024, it houses 12 elders from the age of 60 upwards. The centre only has one caretaker who has an assistant that comes in twice a week on Tuesday and Friday – to assist with the sickly oldies.
The residents are expected to do daily chores to fend off lifestyle related illnesses associated with being idle. They are expected to also make their beds and sweep their rooms.
The caretaker who insisted on not being named, said she places her trust in God’s mercy to see her though her daily responsibilities.
She revealed that some of the residents display behavioural symptoms that are consistent with dementia, and staff do not have the capacity to manage these conditions.
As a result, this is putting pressure on the care staff and affects the quality of care rendered to residents.
The residents also do not receive enough on-going health care.
theReporter also observed that psychosocial needs are not addressed and there are no occupational therapy programmes currently in place at the facility.
The president of the old age home, Sister Sylvia Jone, expressed concern at the isolation and neglect that some senior citizens face in care facilities.
According to Jone, the residents rarely receive visits from their families, which contributes to their loneliness and emotional distress.
Despite agreements made during the intake process where families are asked to visit their elderly relatives, Jone reveals that in many cases, families fail to make good on this promise.
She highlighted the stark reality where families only show up when paperwork is needed for medical procedures, or in some tragic cases, after the elder has passed away.
“The situation is so dire that in some instances, the staff at the facility has to track down family members just to ensure that the elderly person has some kind of connection with their loved ones,” Jone said.
The manager of elderly care services in the ministry of gender, youth and social development, ‘Mamtshengu Tshabalala, said the introduction of pension money often brings a surge of visitors, but not necessarily out of concern for the elderly.
Tshabalala said this is a real challenge in care homes where family members may seek to exploit the elderly for financial gain.
She noted that the elderly are often not in a position to stand their ground, especially if their cognitive abilities are compromised.
Another serious concern is that some family members may try to manipulate their elderly relatives into signing legal documents like wills without proper understanding or consent.
This can result in financial exploitation or fraud, which further deprives elderly individuals of their dignity and rights, Tshabalala pointed out.
“The ministry recommends that care homes ensure they know the purpose of visitors. This could be a form of protection for the elderly against manipulation or undue influence.
“In some cases, care home staff could require visitors to declare their intent and ensure that they are not taking advantage of the elderly person’s vulnerability,” she cautioned.
Tshabalala advised that care homes should implement strict protocols to ensure that elderly residents are not forced into making decisions that are not in their best interest.
This could include regular assessments by social workers or the home to ensure that all parties involved in decision-making are acting in the elderly person’s best interest.
The Elderly Care Services Department of the ministry of social development formulated the Lesotho Standards of Care for Aged Care Facilities in 2015.
According to the standards, the ministry through social workers does regular supervision to ensure that care homes are meeting the required standards set by the ministry.
The ministry conducts quarterly inspections, but is also aiming to implement more frequent (monthly) checks in the Maseru district due to the realisation that quarterly intervals can be too long and may lead to serious issues going unnoticed.
This speaks to the need for proactive monitoring to prevent neglect and ensure that standards around care, hygiene, safety, and recreational activities are being upheld.
The ministry has the authority to shut down any facility that fails to properly care for the elderly, even if such centre is privately owned.
This power reinforces the idea that elderly care should be taken seriously, with accountability mechanisms in place to protect the well-being of residents.
The ministry’s involvement in creating and enforcing care standards is essential in ensuring that elderly individuals receive dignified treatment.
