The elderly home in nablus… a home for those who have nowhere else to go

Nablus- Faten, an elderly lady, has been living at PRCS’ Elderly Home in Nablus for the past 20 years as she could not find anywhere else to go and there was no one who could care for her.
Established in 1952, the Elderly Home aims at providing assistance, care and the necessary services to the Elderly. It hosts 20 elderly persons (8 males and 12 females) from various regions and is the first such home established in Nablus.

Bidaya Kana’an, Director of the Home, said: “The idea behind this Home was to cover the needs of society and to help elderly persons who have nowhere else to turn to. We provide them with support as well as with medical and social care. Our door is open to persons over 60 who have no relatives or who are unable to find rest at their relatives’ houses”.

Dire social conditions forced Zahira to come live at the Home ten years ago. She is comfortable here among her elderly friends who share her sad as well as her happy moments. “I came here ten years ago and since then I have received full care by the management and the staff. They provide us with the best of all services to ensure that we are comfortable. The Home organizes birthday parties, marks the International Day for the Elderly as well as Mother’s Day and many other events that are also celebrated by relatives, social organizations and elderly people from outside the Home”, she said.

Zahira’s room contains three beds while another room contains 8 beds. Kana’an says this is due to the small size of the Home and its limited number of rooms (four) in addition to two kitchens and one living room.
Seventeen employees work in the Home, including a Director, a social counselor, nurses and a cook. They work in shifts so as to ensure that there are always enough employees at the Home.

Kana’an also spoke about the various services provided to the Elderly, such as shelter, food, medical, social and psychological care. “Social care aims at integrating the Elderly in society, making them feel important and preventing their isolation. It also provides recreational activities and avoids routines. Every Sunday and Wednesday we take the elderly on a trip outside the Home, we organize visits to parks and we welcome school pupils who come visit them. Every month 20 schools and university students (from Al Najah, Ibn Sina and Al Quds open University) visit the Home. Moreover, sports activities are organized for the Elderly, such as jogging around the Home, to ensure they remain fit. Visits are also organized with relatives to maintain the Elderly’s high morale and to help them pass time. Moreover, PRCS provides psychological care through individual and collective psychological stress release activities organized by a psychological counselor who visits the Home on a daily basis in cooperation with the Ministry of Health”, Kana’an said.

One elderly man said his happiest moments are the ones he spends in the small nursery located in the Home’s yard which was donated by the Emirates Red Crescent Society in 2004. The Elderly can spend time in the nursery gardening and planting trees.

Nurse Amira Abu Eysheh, who has been accompanying the Elderly to the free medical checkups offered to them on a regular basis by PRCS and the Ministry of Health, said that most elderly persons suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and arterial diseases. There is also one case of sclerosis. Moreover, each elderly person has his/her own special diet designed by the nutritionist in consultation with their doctor.

The monthly cost per elderly person is 380 Jordanian Dinars out of which only 140 JDs are covered by their families. The Ministry of Social Affairs has also referred several elderly persons to the Home and covers 200 NIS of their monthly costs. The remainder is covered by philanthropists and generous donators.
According to Ms. Kana’an, Nablus needs a bigger Home for Elderly persons which can provide better state-of-the-art services and care to them. “There is a plan to build a Home that would host more than 100 elderly persons and a piece of land has been earmarked to this end. However, we lack the required funds to start construction works”.