Senior citizens centre, UN team up for elderly Nigerians
The National Senior Citizens Center (NSCC), in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), Wednesday, commenced a two-day international workshop on on-boarding of domiciliary care agency model in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event in Abuja, the Director General of NSCC, Dr Emem Omokaro, said the workshop will align with the national policy guidelines on quality assurance in geriatric social care and standard operating procedures for care settings, care agencies and facilitators.
She said: “As stakeholders already engaged in the field of ageing and care either as operators of care and support services in various settings, we believe we have all prayed for policy action that would bring classification, recognition, structure, standards and ethics to the older persons care and support system in Nigeria.
“This workshop is planned to align the teaching content with the national policy guidelines on quality assurance in geriatric social care and standard operating procedures for care settings, care agencies and facilitators, as well as the national benchmark and minimum standards in accreditation of training centers, facilities and care agencies.
“Relevant stakeholders have partnered with NSCC to take concrete steps towards establishing geriatric social care and support systems that are human rights-based, culturally sensitive, gender-responsive accessible. The Domiciliary Care Agency Model is the highly rated model in Nigeria and most desirable. The workshop is to train the operators who will partner with NSCC to pilot the model in its quality assured template.
“The questions that we should answer at the end of the two-day training workshop include: How do we ensure that care and support system work for all older persons as a sustainable development? How can we build care and support system for older persons, families and communities that is crucial to foster economic prosperity where no one is left behind? How do we ensure that working conditions for care givers improve and decent work is promoted in accordance with international labour standards?
“Sustainable Development cannot be achieved without robust and resilient care and support systems where no one is left behind. These systems are not only critical to addressing the undervaluing and gendered division of care work as a precondition for SDG 5 on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls with benefits cutting across multiple SDGs, including SDG 1 on Poverty, SDG 3 on Good health and wellbeing, SDG 4 on Quality education, SDG 8 on Decent work and economic growth, SDG 10 on Reduced inequalities, SDG 11 on Sustainable cities and communities, thus contributing to support just, prosperous and sustainable economies.
“Methodology for delivery of workshop objectives include; Expert presentations, open moderated dialogues, group breakout sessions and Inter-groups panel discussions and Communique presentation and adoption. NSCC’s concerted efforts present institutional opportunities for achieving the sustainable development, which we believe cannot be achieved without robust and resilient care and support system where no one is left behind. NSCC continues to seek technical and funding support to enhance its Geriatric social care capacity enhancement initiative.”
Speaking earlier, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mr. Abel Enitan, who was represented by the Director of Legal Services, Barr. Garba Haganawega, said the NSCC is intentionally creating job opportunities, enhancing productivity and promoting geriatric market growth, in meeting the needs of the older population.
He said: “Statistics show that Nigeria has a substantial need for long-term care for older persons and, the need is likely to expand with increasing number of older persons and, a growing prevalence of functional impairment, needing assistance with at least one of five Activities of Daily Living (ADL).
“To this end, NSCC has worked extensively with relevant MDAs to identify peculiar cultural, institutional and systems challenges, formally recognized and classified different care settings, developed policy guidelines for care quality assurance and the standard operational procedures for each care setting in keeping with global best practices.
“The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation is proud to note that through the innovative and transformative work of NSCC, Nigeria is paying attention to investing in its older population, while integrating its youth population in its programs design.
“With an optimistic perception of ageing and good understanding of the multi-sectoral challenges of older persons, NSCC is intentionally creating job opportunities, enhancing productivity and, promoting geriatric market growth, in meeting the needs of older population. In this vein, the Ministry pledges its unalloyed support of NSCC by undertaking Ministerial- level advocacy for more funding support.”
Also speaking, the Head of Mission/Country Representative, World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, said Nigeria is losing a lot to brain drain as many Nigerians migrate abroad to practice as doctors or nurses, even as he said there is need for young Nigerians to step in and cover the gap.
