Old people’s home is alien to virtually all indigenous communities in Africa. It does not flourish in Nigeria and may never. Despite the intrusion of western values, the idea has remained unpopular. Going by African cosmology, no child should contemplate retiring his aged parents to the so called old people’s home. Children are required by tradition to take full charge of the care of their aged parents. Even if the children were incapacitated by circumstances, there was no room for such a home as there were layers of relatives whose homes were alternative places of refuge. (Except in cases of insanity which they may lack the capacity to deal with).
The care of the aged was also a corollary of preventive healthcare. Virtually every indigenous group in Nigeria acknowledged the vulnerability of the aged. Without proper care, they would be exposed to malnutrition, accidents, destitution, depression and opportunistic diseases. This is an area of strength in the indigenous system and, perhaps, one of the most successful aspects of its preventive healthcare practices. The government has had little challenges in housing the aged because the traditional order has proven very adequate.
I am eager to lean how the aged are cared for in different communities.
