FG launches model for catering for older persons

With the population of aged persons to rise in Nigeria to 50 million by 2025, the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) has begun the training of operators of care homes for older persons in the country.

Speaking during a two-day international workshop on the on-boarding of domiciliary care agency model in Nigeria, the Director General of NSCC, Emem Omokaro, stated that the model aims to transform Nigeria’s care and support system to ensure available, accessible and affordable older persons-centered care.

“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.”

She stated that the 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.

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“It will present care and support systems from the foundational pillars of human rights, gender equality, and sustainable development.

“It will seek to articulate good practices, lessons learned about the contribution of care and support systems to ensure the wellbeing and the rights of care recipients and caregivers through the nationally coherent and gender-responsive policies unveiled by NSCC,” she said.

On his part, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Abel Enitan, 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 an 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).