Foundation celebrates 70years+ elderly Widows in Lagos

The Healing Heart Foundation, an NGO, has celebrated and put joy on faces of widows from 70 years of age and above in commemoration of the 2024 International Day of Older Persons in Lagos..

The day is celebrated annually on Oct. 1, to raise public awareness about the opportunities and challenges with ageing populations and to mobilise the families, community groups and stakeholders to address the difficulties faced by older people.

The President of the Foundation, Mrs Sophy Mbanisi, said that the objective of the programme was to give the widows sense of belonging, put joy on their faces and educate them on some healthy aging lifestyles.

Mbanisi said that about 70 elderly people were present at event.

According to her, the event featured gifts sharing where the ADDMIE company gave 10 cartons of their vegetable products to the widows.

She noted that the widows were admonished with the word of God, as they were encouraged to put their trust in God.

“Oct. 1 every year is a day to celebrate, honour and show respect to the contributions of older people to families and the society.

“For this year, we decided to pickup the very elderly ones; from 70 years and above  to have a recreational outing that comprises games, funs, refreshments and gifts.

“So, the widows played games like ludo, have funs and have opportunity to share their past life experiences including their marriage life and challenges in life.

“The objective basically is to celebrate the elderly widows, give them that sense of belonging and put joy on their faces,” Mbanisi said.

Mbanisi advised that older people should take their health seriously by eating healthy food and go for regular medical checkups and screenings.

She emphasised the need for every elderly person to regularly check his/her BP in order to identify and address critical conditions that might result to sudden death.

According to her, by taking charge of their health status, older people can help in reducing risks/chances of developing some of the ailments associated with aging such cancer, hypertension, stroke, diabetes among others.

“Unfortunately, lots of elderly people live in abject poverty; they have nobody to care or carter for them.

“Living in poverty can have a devastating effect on health and poor health leads to poverty.

“As an adult, try to avoid the class of foods that can trigger risk factors of high blood pressure like high cholesterol level, diabetes, high sugar levels or excessive weight and always engage in active physical activities.

“Eat more of fruits and vegetables; avoid stress, avoid salty foods, drink lots of water and take enough rest,” she said.