A clinic to cater for the medical needs of Lagosians above 60 years old has been launched at the Oregun Primary Healthcare Centre in Lagos State.
The age-friendly clinic launched on Thursday, was a collaborative effort between Northwestern Medicine, the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos and the Lagos State government with funding from Global Health.
The clinic, fitted with medical and social facilities, including exercise kits and games, is designed to improve the physical and mental health of the elderly.
Permanent secretary of Lagos State Ministry of Health District Six, Dr Abimbola Mabogunje who commissioned the facility, said the project lined up with the vision of Lagos State government in providing more care for the elderly.
She said: “Our Primary Healthcare Centres are beginning to be more set up to look after people aged over 60. From time immemorial, when any adult comes into any Lagos healthcare centre, they are taken care of specially. But since the creation of this district, we’ve looked so closely to ensure that things are done in a way that suits the elderly. So, we are putting more interventions in place.”
Commending Northwestern Medical School for the partnership, she said it is timely. “It is coming timely because these were our thoughts in getting District Six to have specialised clinics and more care for the elderly. So, this partnership is good for us and it will move the healthcare of the elderly forward.”
Dr Adedoyin Ogunyemi, a Public Health Physician and Co-Principal Investigator for the project, revealed that the Age-Friendly Clinic at Oregun PHC came about following two years of painstaking research to unravel the barriers militating against the elderly accessing quality healthcare.
She said the research found gaps in training among healthcare workers in attending to older adults, a lack of some elderly-friendly facilities in some healthcare centres and financial constraints among older adults.
To address the challenges, Dr Ogunyemi said a broader stakeholder engagement was organized with participants including the Permanent Secretary of Health District Six, Directors in the Health District, staff of Oregun PHC and the elderly.
The brainstorming session revolves around what can be done to make it more suitable for the elderly to access medical care.
Dr Ogunyemi said: “At that meeting, several things came up, some of which we are implementing today. Some of the things we have done since that meeting were to train the staff of Oregun PHC, the health providers on medical conditions that commonly affect older adults, and how to manage their conditions including hypertension, diabetes, dementia, and problems of screening. Some of these conditions may be beyond what a primary healthcare centre can do, but we want them to be able to identify them and refer them appropriately.”
She added: “Another thing that came out of that meeting was to provide a comfortable place for older adults where they can both promote their brain health, social connections and physical health. Together with the stakeholders, it was agreed that Sundays 12 noon will be a clinic for older adults at the Oregun PHC.
“So, we have this tent that will be able to weather both rain and sun. We’ve got some games in here that they can play as they build their social connections because loneliness is one of the problems older adults face. And we are not just about when they have a disease. We are about helping them to stay well.”