The Sunday Mail
Veronica Gwaze
Scores being turned away
60pc spike in people checking into nursing home
The coronavirus pandemic has not only killed more than three million people around the world, but it is having an unprecedented social and economic impact, particularly on the vulnerable.
Lockdowns, which have been in place since March last year when the country first reported its first case of the virus, have largely been successful in curbing its spread, albeit at a cost to livelihoods.
The informal sector has been one of the hardest-hit sectors.
As incomes have been mercilessly squeezed, breadwinners have naturally been left with no option but to prioritise the immediate family, and this has had an impact on the most unlikely group – the elderly.
The Sunday Mail Society has gathered that there has been 60 percent increase in people that are being checked into old people’s homes during the pandemic.
It is believed that all the 170 nursing homes around the country are now filled to capacity.
“Since the beginning of the lockdown, we have been overwhelmed and we are also worried. Every day we have people that physically approach or call us with the intention of bringing their relatives here,” said Major Lovemore Meda of Bumhudzo Old People’s Home.
While some have the courtesy to make official visits, others are just ‘dumping’ the elderly outside the institutions at night.
Bumhudzo Old People’s Home currently cares for 30 inmates.
“Due to the Covid-19 guidelines, we cannot take in more people. As a result, we are turning many away. However, this has created challenges as some come and dump their elderly at our gate, especially at night,” added Major Meda.
HelpAge Zimbabwe executive director Ms Priscilla Gavi is equally worried.
“We are actually concerned with what is happening in communities. Patterns are showing that the burden of living with the aged is now being cast on homes since the lockdown started. In fact, there has been more than 60 percent increase of admissions into the institutions since March last year,” she said.
According to HelpAge, there are at least 170 registered and unregistered nursing homes countrywide.
Each cares for a minimum of 30 inmates, most of them male.
Government and other stakeholders are now working on “a lasting solution”.
“Most of the homes are full, but in most cases, we are being forced to rescue the elderly from abuse by admitting them in the already-overloaded homes. However, we are currently working with the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to come up with a lasting solution,” added Ms Gavi.
“Most people are under pressure from the pandemic and they are venting on the elderly … as a result, we are also carrying out programmes to help normalise relations, in the process reunite some of the elderly with their families.”
Government confirmed that there was indeed an increase in new occupants.
It is, however, prepared to do more if approached for help.
“We understand the plight of old people’s homes, especially the recent spike of occupants necessitated by lockdown. Government has been assisting financially and we recently had to review the figures upwards. Furthermore, we also assist them with maize-meal, groceries and we are prepared to do more if they come with specified individual needs,” said Mr Simon Masanga, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.
At Bulawayo’s Entembeni Old People’s Home, caring for the elderly has become difficult.
The institution is full to capacity.
“Sometimes when we have space, we then try to prioritise those in serious situations, but generally, we pray for the Government’s financial intervention. We used to survive from donations,” said one of the officials who elected to remain anonymous.
Experts say the coronavirus has seriously disrupted families and it was therefore unsurprising that many are opting to triage or give up the elderly.
“Most people lost their jobs while others are struggling to feed their families, which has resulted in them opting to put their relatives in old people’s homes. The social fabric has been affected and relationships strained due to lockdown,” said psychologist Blessed Chinyangare.
“Homes used to offer a haven for the old, where they were provided with clothing and food, but it is no longer the case nowadays due to high numbers.”
But, is Covid-19 the only reason why families are now giving up their elderly?
Recently, Menard Kanzara of Chiweshe visited different old people’s home with the intention of having his 80-year-old blind grandfather admitted.
Kanzara, who survives on menial jobs, was left in the care of his grandfather after the death of both his parents and elder brother.
However, piece-jobs are now hard to come by.
Fending for himself, let alone his grandfather, is now a mammoth task.
“It has become hard for me to provide even a basic meal per day,” explained the 26-year-old.
“Being totally blind, he needs me close by, which means I cannot find employment far from the village, so I had to make this tough decision to surrender him to a home.
“Unfortunately, it is proving to be difficult. I have been to a home in Marondera and two others in Harare, but they are all full, and I am stranded.”
Charlotte Kwambana has been admitted at Bumhudzo Old People’s Home for the past two years.
She used to stay at home in Eastlea with her two children aged 27 and 25.
In 2018, she fell ill and was bedridden for seven months.
And it is during that time that her children took her to the home, where she is currently recovering.
Since admission, they have only visited her once.
“I am bitter over why they (children) brought me here. I have my own house where I should be recovering peacefully. Because of my poor health, there is little or nothing I can do. I cannot force them to have me home. However, life is tough herel; I miss home,” a sobbing Kwambana said.
Her colleague, Marizani Kashawu, aged 80, was abandoned by his family after being accused of practicing witchcraft.
Originally from Malawi, he moved to Zimbabwe in 1982.
Kashawu was formerly employed as a gardener before his employer relocated to the United Kingdom.
Over the years, he stayed in harmony with his family.
But all hell broke loose when his wife, Martha, died in 2007.
Kashawu was accused of killing her for rituals.
The couple’s two children subsequently abandoned him, forcing him to seek care in a nursing home.
“I do not know where they disappeared to, but I am grateful that at least I have a roof over my head,” he said.
“Some years back, it used to be only a few of us here, but things have changed. The institution now has many people and that has affected the quality of food, medical supplies and other basic needs.”
A nurse aid at Bako ReDonhodzo Old People’s Home, which cares for more than 20 inmates, said the situation was dire.
Before lockdown, some well-wishers often assisted the home.
“Because most of the elderly are no longer physically fit, there aren’t many projects that we can do for sustenance and this has seen most homes languish in poverty,” she said.
Psychologist Dr Nisbert Mangoro, who works with various old people’s homes countrywide, argues that at least 70 percent of occupants in homes are foreigners.
“Some of them do not have travel documents, others are too old, while some are now mentally unstable, which makes it difficult for them to go back to their countries of origin,” he said.
“Others had gotten married to locals but have since been abandoned for numerous reasons, chiefly poverty.”
Sociologist and author Dr Vengesai Chimininge believes modernity has broken down family values and ties.
“The new cultures have come in to renegotiate societal expectations, which is why the new generation now finds it easy to give up their parents into homes.
“For most people, taking care of their ailing or mentally unstable parents has become a burden, so they take the easy way out. However, culturally, such acts result in curses and are a taboo.”
