Elderly fear for their safety, health at Tsumeb old age home

Pensioners living at the Martin Shailemo Old Age Home in Tsumeb have expressed fears for their safety due to the lack of security offered on site.They also said they are unhappy with the poor quality of meals, despite paying monthly rental fees, and complained about frequent water leakages, which they consider a health hazard.Namibian Sun was made aware of these concerns during a recent visit to the housing facility, where nine pensioners currently reside, two of whom live with disabilities. Six years ago, Namibian Sun exposed the dire conditions faced by the residents at the old age home at the time, and these challenges reportedly persist.The facility is owned by the Tsumeb municipality but managed by a volunteer committee.With no payment for their work, the volunteers only benefit when a donor injects funds or donations are received to support the facility.NeglectedFritz Adams (54), who is partially blind, told Namibian Sun he has been staying at the facility for the past five years.Adams, who spoke on behalf of many living at the home, said the facility lacks proper management.“There is no control at this place. It is called an old age home, but it is not run like one. The only functioning department is the kitchen,” Adams said.“First of all, when you entered, you were supposed to be greeted by a security guard, but there is nothing like that. People can come in here and do as they please. There is no one to defend us on site; we are on our own.”Adams said the facility was home to 24 people in 2019, but that number has dwindled to nine occupants as many could no longer afford the N$400 monthly fee.He also claimed that those who cannot pay the N$400 fee do not benefit when the centre receives donations.Bad foodAdams explained that the residents receive two meals a day, mostly consisting of bread for breakfast and ‘sop bene’ (soup bones) and porridge for lunch.However, he said that due to the poor quality of the meals and other concerns, some residents throw the food away.“The food is not well prepared. Some of us don't have strong teeth and we cannot eat that food. We literally have to throw away the food. We are paying for food that we don’t even eat,” Adams said.He said the residents have complained about the quality of the food for years, but nothing has changed.Maintenance problemsAnother issue he highlighted is water leakages at the facility – a problem observed during Namibian Sun's visit.“Water leakage is our nightmare here. Taps are running and drainage pipes are leaking. If you go into some of the toilets, you will see how bad the situation is. Hence if there was proper management on site, some of these things would have been addressed,” he said.Due to the lack of security personnel, Adams said members of the outside community often arrive at the old age home to collect water.Mango trees, which grow at the home, also attract the attention of community members.“People from the community come here and they fetch water whenever they wish,” he claimed.“We have mango trees here, and children come here uninvited and start climbing on the trees for the fruit. We are old, and we cannot do anything to stop them.”Council responseWhen contacted for comment, Tsumeb municipality spokesperson Stella Imalwa-Nangolo explained that the lack of security at the facility is due to financial constraints. “We acknowledge that the place does not have a security guard and this is due to the limited financial resources the council has,” she confirmed.However, she said the council has been exploring ways to address this concern in its budget in order to deploy a security guard to the old age home. Regarding maintenance, Imalwa-Nangolo said that council employees do respond when issues are reported.She also emphasised that the committee running the facility are volunteers who strive to treat the residents to the best of their ability.“Mind you, these people are volunteering their services. They don’t get anything from the council. There will be challenges here and there, but they are really doing the best they can,” she said.Both Adams and Imalwa-Nangolo have appealed for help from good Samaritans to provide necessary assistance to the residence. kenya@nmh-hub.com.na

Elderly fear for their safety, health at Tsumeb old age home

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Namibian Sun 2025-01-29

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Elderly fear for their safety, health at Tsumeb old age home

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Namibian Sun 2025-01-29

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