Our Elders and the “Old Folks Home”
Our Old Folks are our elders. They worked; they labored, and strived to preserve our society. They toil, and now they are old. What can we do to ensure that they are at least okay? If even we are tired, and weary, should we forget about our old people? Yes, times are hard, but should we forget our old people? The old and the children are alike in many ways- they need our care. Like customers, they are always “right.”
Like my late mom used to say, “You get the best,”to mean you deserve the best and will always get the best. So I believe, like customers, our old people must‘get the best.” They must be given quality services, and those services must entails feeling accepted, loved, protected, and safe in our society. On the other hand, if our elders must find themselves in the “Old Folks Home,” they should then receive the necessary care to make them comfortable. Like customers, inthe “Old Folks Home” our elders should receive outstanding customer services, and those services must be provided with patience, and if possible a nice smile. After all, they deserve the necessary care to make their stay in the“Old Folks Home” clean, safe and nurturing, and with “some life.”
But is that the case with the Old Folks Home situated up Ashmun Street, opposite “Government Old hospital?” No! The facility is almost bare. The rooms illustrate the deprived conditions of the HOME, and subsequently the circumstances the elders face daily. For example, the beds and beddings are visibly cluttered, ragged and flooded with stale odor. The “Old Folks’ are old, of course, that’s why they are called OLD Folks. But they are people who toiled our land, and served our society. They raised children who are parts of our society.
Therefore, if our elders find themselves in such facilities as the OLDFOLKS Home, there should be trained staff, including service providers and medical staff to provide the FOLKS basic daily living and health care services. Like customers, they must be provided outstanding and exceptional care at all times. If we cannot provide them the best care for our Old Folks, what will we be capable of doing? In the photos below, are scenes from the OLD FOLKS HOME.
