Patricia Wanja Namu Mukayagi, Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer Of Angels Healthcare Network And Visiting Angels Nursing Agency in Kenya
We are delighted Patricia Wanja Namu Mukayagi, Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer Of Angels Healthcare Network And Visiting Angels Nursing Agency in Kenya has accepted our scholarship to attend the Global Ageing Network/Curaviva Global Ageing Conference, 18-21 September 2017, Montreux, Switzerland.
As a Registered Community Nurse, and holding other health, management and industry qualifications, through her organisations, Patricia ensures quality nursing and therapy home-based services are provided to the elderly.
“As time went by, we realised the elderly were in a semi-neglected state in their homes, and it was not clear to us whether this was due to negligence or lack of knowledge/awareness on the part of the family members,” she says.
Patricia then embarked on a journey to establish what the landscape for Older persons in Kenya was like, at all levels from government to grassroots. “Our findings were that this is an area that requires a lot of attention from as many players as possible,” she says.
By attending the conference, she hopes to expand their network of stakeholders in this area of working with and for the older persons. “Our country is undergoing difficult economic times especially as we approach the general elections in September 2017,” she says. “Our members are grossly affected by the current drought situation that is ravaging our country. Many have shown signs of severe hunger, weakness and malnutrition. At our last meeting held in February, we donated through Visiting Angels Nursing Agency and other donors a packet of maize meal flour to members in attendance.”
Through the conference, she hopes to form partners who can assist in various projects for the older persons in their groups. “I also want to learn what other organisations and countries are tackling various situations back in their homes,” she says.
After the conference, Patricia says she will expand the scope of the programs and projects that we already have by including various partners. “I will apply the acquired knowledge in my interactions with the government bodies, agencies and institutions,” she says.
In Kenya, Patricia highlights poor Healthcare among the older persons takes first priority. “This includes access, affordability and utilisation, and includes diagnosis of conditions such as HIV/AIDS due to lack of inclusion,” she says.
There is also a lack of geriatric trained personnel (doctors and nurses) in the healthcare system. “Our country has only two known geriatricians, both of who are not in this practice,” she says.
“Old age in my country is almost synonymous with poverty,” Patricia adds. “Lack of resources to support related projects for the older persons is a big deterrent to changing their environment or their lives. Long-term care is still a dream far off!”
“Having been a Registered nurse for 25 years, I am still very passionate about care for the elderly; I would do anything to change the life of an elderly person,” she says. “I recently shared my shawl with a neglected elderly person in the village where one of our groups is situated but a few minutes later, it had been taken by one of the family members. I did not see it again.”