The old men and women dressed in their best attires. Their average age should be 65 years, and they were in high spirits. They danced to the music in the background while some moved their heads to the music and others shook their legs. They were in full gyration. Their lively faces masked their age and, like children, who just discovered that they were adults, they threw banters. They giggled, chuckled and shared jokes. Intermittently, one or two of them would stand up to sing.
That was the scene when Caring Hands International (CHI), Nigeria, celebrated its 10th anniversary in Osogbo, Osun State. The group focuses on promoting the welfare and well-being of the elderly in the society.
The group, in the last 10 years, has been supporting the elderly by providing care and support and also ensuring their full integration into the society.
So, when the group rolled out drums to celebrate the 10th anniversary, the elderly came in droves to celebrate the group that has given them succour in the last 10 years.
According to the senior citizens, there was a cause for them to celebrate CHI. They said most of them would have died out of loneliness or ill health but for the platform provided for them by CHI to bond.
According to the founder of CHI, Mrs Fehintola Obilomo: “The condition of the elderly citizens in our society has become a matter of great concern. Many of them live in abject poverty; while a large proportion are confronted with problems of societal neglect and frustration. Apart from emotional distress and psychological trauma, a high percentage of elderly people are also exposed to various health problems without proper medical care thereby increasing the mortality rate. Against this background, Caring Hands International was established in order to improve the lives of elderly people and enable them live fulfilled and dignified life.”
When these elderly started giving their testimonies, it was a story of triumph in the face of tragedy.
Narrating his experienced, Pa Fariyibi, a retired soldier in his 70s who walks with the aid of a walking stick, said he is alive today because of his chance encounter with CHI. The man had an accident in 2014, a situation which nearly took his life. Even after he had been discharged from the hospital, he battled with other health challenges associated with old age.
”When a car hit me in 2014, I spent a year in the hospital. After I was discharged from the hospital, Obilomo visited me; I never knew her visit was divine. She asked for the condition of my blood pressure, she advised me to go and do checks. She did the tests for me. She said my ailment had a remedy, she referred me to a doctor who referred me to another hospital. There, I was admitted for five days and all manners of tests were administered on me there and then, solution was found to my health challenge,” he said.
According to the 70-year-old man, it was the wise counsel from CHI, coupled with the medical attention he got that kept him alive.
Eighty-two-year-old Ayegoro Oladipupo Olabode, who was in very high spirit said she belonged to the first set of people to join CHI about 10 years ago. ”It was Mr. Obilomo, the husband of the Executive Director of Caring Hands International, Mrs Fehintola Obilomo, that introduced me to the organisation, about 10 years ago. For the past 10 years, Mrs Obilomo has been taking care of our wellbeing, she provides food during our monthly meetings, she also does medical care for us, especially in the areas of medical checkup be it high blood pressure, urine test or any form of diseases, she would refer us to the hospital if necessary.”
The 82- year-old man while disclosing that Obilomo uses her money to take care of the elderly, was full of praises for Obilomo and said if the CHI Executive Director had been a politician, life would have been better for Nigerians. “The aspect of medical checkups has really helped, she would tell us the type of exercise to do and the type of food to eat. It will surprise you that she does it free of charge. We hold our meeting once a month,” he said.
For Mrs Felicia Olubunmi Akintaro, who is also one of the early members of CHI said she clocked 70 in January,adding: “I have been enjoying different benefits from this association, even while in service, I went to treat my tooth in the hospital, they told me to pay N500 to remove it. I made them understand that I was a widow and I had children in school and could not afford it. But when it became unbearable, it was Obilomo that came to my aid by paying the dentist and since then I have been okay.Many would have been dead, especially me, if not for the medical advice. The doctors would come to advice us and tell us what to do, they check our blood pressure and at times give glasses to people that need it.”
Evangelist Oluwaremilekun Abiona said: “I had the privilege of knowing Caring Hands International many years ago. I didn’t know about them before. It was somebody that advised me that there was a place where they take care of the aged people, that was when I went to their office. I was registered with No 350, since then I have been going every month and we do exercise at Technical College Osogbo on first Saturday of the month. During our meeting days, they normally give us moi moi, water. I’m not ashamed to tell you that anytime I take this moi moi home, I would tell them to prepare pap for me and I would take the moi moi and pap. I’ve benefitted a lot from this organisation, I remember when I had challenge, they did eye test for us and the organisation gave me eye glasses without taking a dime from me.”
The plight of the elderly gave birth to Caring Hearts International. Though, the group has been taking care of the elderly in the areas of medicine, treatment and visits the fact that as they grow, age related diseases should be addressed, “that was when we said we should put a structure down where we can take care of the elderly especially, defecting early the onset of debilitating diseases, related to old age, that was how Caring Heart started in 2006.”
