A community support group has emphasised the need for promoting the health of elderly widowers in Lake Victoria islands in Homa Bay county.
The organisation dubbed Widowers Health and Empowerment Support Service noted that sensitisation on health matters was required for elderly widowers to improve their personal hygiene.
Director of the program Samuel Okombo said a survey conducted by the organisation revealed that many elderly widowers were unable to access healthcare due to a shortage of facilities and remoteness of islands.
He said that most islands in Lake Victoria were detached from healthcare facilities and inhabitants had difficulties accessing healthcare.
Okombo said the remoteness had contributed to the ill health of elderly widowers.
The Widowers Health and Empowerment Support Service initiative is supported by Interior Principal Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo.
Okombo said they realised that elderly people have become weak because they do not do exercises and due to neglect, most of them had poor hygiene and were poorly groomed.
He noted that some elderly widowers do not brush their teeth because they lack money to buy toothpaste and a brush and other personal hygiene necessities.
“Elderly people living in the Kenyan islands need a lot of support to address their deteriorating health. Most of them lack money for personal hygiene,” Okombo said.
Speaking when they met more than 150 elderly widowers for a sensitisation programme on Ngodhe Island in the Suba North constituency, Okombo noted that there was a need for proper education for the elderly to visit hospitals for checkups and treatment.
He said most of the elderly were unhealthy due to lack of exercise, with some requiring assistive devices for mobility.
Ngodhe and other islands are rocky and agriculturally unproductive and most of the residents depend on fishing for their livelihoods.
During the sensitisation the elders were also registered under the Social Health Authority (SHA) to access medication.
Okombo noted that the elderly lack energy to engage in fishing activities, leading to their high dependency on relatives, thus being neglected.
“They can’t go to farms because most islands are rocky. We’re calling for concerted efforts to ensure we support the elderly widowers so that they can have a decent living,” he said.
During the outreach, the elderly widowers were given gift hampers like toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, soap, vests, inner wear, and nail cutters to promote personal hygiene.
Some elderly widowers led by Okech Ongere asked PS Dr. Omollo and the government to give them more support because their sources of income have declined.
He asked PS Omollo to create a sub-location administrative unit in Ngodhe island to take government services to the inhabitants.
They also urged the government to frequently distribute relief food to the island.
“Creation of administrative offices in Ngodhe will allow us to access government services easily. Our sub-location is in Rusinga and we have to spend on transport to access services,” Ongere said.
By Davis Langat
