The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Monday in Abuja reiterated its commitment to address the health challenges, and improve the welfare and well-being of the senior citizens in the nation’s capital.
Alhaji Sani Amar, Director, Social Welfare Services Department, FCT, stated this during a one-day reach-out sensitisation workshop for older persons held at KaronMajigi Community in Abuja Municipal Area Council.
Reach out was organised by the FCTA in conjunction with the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC), and FCT Stakeholders Consultative Forum, to commemorate World Hearing Day 2023.
Amar revealed that the FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat was working assiduously to ensure the inclusion and integration of senior citizens into the FCT Health Insurance.
He also said the FCT Administration had quite a number of programmes, including social and empowerment programmes and others that would enhance the living conditions of the older adults in the territory.
” Every year we have quite a number of programmes that we roll out and for 2023 and this is the first programme we are starting for the year; others are in the pipeline.
” We are here today at KaronMajigi Community in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) to commemorate the International World Hearing Day, 2023, as enshrined by the United Nations.
March 3 of every year is a day set aside to celebrate World Hearing Day.
” We are here with the team of medical doctors from the National Hospital and Women Council to assist in examining and diagnosis of older persons with hearing problems and some other health challenges.
” We are targeting 70 older persons and as you can see inside the palace the examination is ongoing and quite a number of persons have been examined.”
The director commended the efforts of the District Head of KaronMajigi Community for mobilising senior citizens in the area in spite of short notice.
Dr Ogugua Osi-ogbu, the Co-chair 1, National Senior Citizens Centre, FCT Stakeholders Consultative Forum, said the forum was concerned about catering for the needs of older adults in the FCT.
Osi-ogbu, who is a Consultant, Geriatrician and Head Geriatric Unit, at National Hospital, explained that the aim of the outreach was to sensitise older adults on how to keep their ears healthy and avoid things that could cause hearing loss.
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” We are here as the National Senior Citizens Centre FCT Stakeholders Consultative Forum to commemorate World Hearing Day with the theme Ear and Hearing Care for all.
” We want a situation where everyone knows about how to keep his or her ear healthy, how to prevent hearing loss and identify those with hearing loss.
Osi-ogbu said the exercise would also advise them on how to go for treatment that would make them continue to engage with society because without hearing is difficult for one to socially engage.
” Hearing loss is one of those risk factors for social isolation, we know people developed depression with hearing loss issues and we don’t want our older adults to be victims.
” As NSCC FCT Stakeholders, we are concerned about catering for the needs of older adults in the FCT and that is why we targeted this outreach in KaronMajigi to the older adults and specifically talking to them about how to keep their ears healthy.
They are also told, “things to do to prevent damage to the ears such as exposure to loud noises and using the cotton bud.”
She noted that ears naturally had a cleansing mechanism, saying: “We don’t need to clean our ears. The wax that we see at the outer ear is dead that has gathered all the debry from the canal of the ear and comes out.
” All we need to do at that point is to pick up that wax from the outer ear, discard it and wash our hands after that.
” So we have no need to clean the ear at any time and if for any reason you are hearing sounds in the ears or suddenly feel like one ear is not hearing well as loudly as the other ear or you need people to speak a lot louder for you to hear them, that may be that you are developing a hearing loss.
” And you need to see the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor (ENT) so that they can do an adequate evaluation for why that may be developing.”
Also, the District Head of KaronMajigi Community, Alhaji Yunusa Bako, thanked the FCT Administration and the forum for choosing the community to benefit from the medical outreach.
” Actually I will like to commend the FCT Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Aliyu for coming to our aide here in KaronMajigi Community and sensitising the senior citizens and the medical outreach.
” Senior citizens deserve proper healthcare services because without health nothing works.”
