Hundreds of elderly persons from Karumiri Sub-location in Manyatta Constituency, Embu County have benefited from a free medical camp by a non-profit making organisation that is on a mission to reduce rising deaths resulting from insufficient health education and poor access to care.
The organiser, Ms Eva John CW, Founder, Love Basket Foundation said cases of “ignorance deaths” from treatable or manageable ailments among the elderly were on the rise in the area which informed the move to hold a medical camp cum healthcare education forum.
She said the rise in deaths associated with these diseases was a result of low health literacy leading to poor management of those ailments.
Ms John lamented that many elderly people were dying of manageable ailments such as diabetes and hypertension that were common among the aged.
“It has become a common occurrence to hear that an elderly person slept and never woke or just collapsed and died and when you dig deeper, it was out of these silent killer ailments that can be easily managed with proper information and care,” she said.
Speaking during the medical camp held in conjunction with the Aga Khan hospital and Neema Hospital Embu, Ms John said health education was key in reducing these preventable deaths and improving the quality of life of the old folks.
She said besides health education, they also wanted to inculcate good health-seeking behaviour including seeking prompt professional care whenever disease symptoms arise.
“We are also advising them to go for regular medical checkups to enable early disease detection and intervention,” she said.
The team also donated assorted foodstuffs to the vulnerable group which she said faces a myriad of challenges including neglect by their children and food insecurity due to lack of source of income.
Beneficiaries could not hide their joy for the godsent initiative which they said would go a long way in improving their health and wellbeing and increasing longevity of life.
By Samuel Waititu
