By Ubani Newman Ubani(UNU)
#AbiaOnline
The advantages of home health care are boundless. The goals are to help individuals to improve function and live with greater independence; to promote patients’ optimal level of well-being; and to assist them remain at home, avoiding hospitalization.
But the home health care for the elderly evolves far more rigorous procedures as they are especially more vulnerable to adverse events from medication errors; they often take multiple medications for a variety of comorbidities that have been prescribed by more than one provider.
Our aged parents, most of whom are pensioners, are abandoned in their respective home with no one to care for them. Families are at loggerheads because of who cares or who does not care for the aged mother, father, grandmother or grandfather suffering from one old age disease or another. This threat to the lives of our senior citizens has killed many of them who ought to have lived longer, but never again shall this menace continue as the health friendly Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu has identified it and ushered interventions FREE OF CHARGE.
In November, 2017, the health friendly Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu launched a Free Home Health Care Services for the elderly in the State.
Dr. Ikpeazu’s vision in the programme is that registered nurses and other health experts will come to the comfort of the homes of these elderly people to provide these care to them. The only qualification to access this Special Free Service is having medical necessity and physical approval of the person involved.
The free medical care that are available include; blood pressure, pulse and respiratory status assessment, monitoring of nutrition and hydration status, monitoring response and teaching of medication, administering insulin, wound and ostomy care, catheter care, obtaining specimens, such as blood for lab testing, medical social workers are available for various referrals through out the communities. Also the elderly people with diabetes, cancer, heart disease, alzheimer, hypertension, arthritis, fractures and stroke are covered in the scheme.
Since the launch of the programme, the management of the health care services led by Chief Emenike Osondu has been visiting the elderly in their homes and taking care of them. So far, they have visited Ukwa East Local Government Area, where twenty elder people were treated, Obingwa LGA, where they took care of forty aged persons. Also another set of forty elderly citizens have been treated in Isialangwa South and Ikwuano Local Government Areas respectively. The programme is a continuum and targeted to reach the elderly in the entire 17 Local Government Areas of the State.
The response has been positive and the people have seen reasons to appreciate the efforts of the Governor in that regard.
Worthy of note is that the health workers were carefully selected to ensure that the quality of services delivered meet the highest standards of the World Health Organisation.
The programme is aimed at reducing the number of the elderly people in that go to hospital which of course will prefer to be treated in their natural homes. The programme would also reduce the amount of money families spend in paying hospital bills and even in burial when eventually their elderly people pass on.
By establishing this project, there is no doubt that the Governor is positioned and committed to improving the health status of individuals, most especially the elderly in the seventeen Local Government Areas of the State.
Hence, Governor Ikpeazu needs to be commended for initiating such a wonderful and lauded programme that has already affected lives positively. Of course, these elderly men and women would certainly continue to pray for the success of the administration till 2023.
It is our prayer that this initiation would continue to bring joy and happiness to the elderly as they access it.
Health, being part of the enablers of the Ikpeazu led administration, there is no fear of not sustaining this laudable programme. May God bless Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu.
SUPPORT A GOVERNOR AT WORK.
UNU
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