SOUTH AFRICA: Day's Holiday Out After Years At Old Age Home

OOSTENBERG, South Africa (MetroBurger), January 12, 2006: AN 81 year-old resident Hans Julius, from Mitchell’s Plain, who has been staying at the Kraaifontein old age home for six years, was excited to join a holiday programme organised by the Oostenberg Rotary Club. The one day programme has been planned from the beginning of last year. It included a Christmas lunch, a drive through Brackenfell after lunch and an evening concert. Having started the relationship three years ago, club members come to the old age home every Christmas for lunch and a concert. “Some of the residents refuse to go out by car after having stayed inside for years. They are scared to go out again,” Elfreda Klose, a member of Rotary Club of Oostenberg, said. Charmaine Sobotker, the chairperson of the club, said: “We want to give the senior people a different programme every year. We received 140 discounted lunch packs from KFC in Brackenfell, a financial donation and four vehicles from Tata Oostenberg this year. “There were also some volunteers from the City of Cape Town along with the Rotarians who helped us to feed the old people.” Ms Lynette Arendse, matron of the old age home said: “The centre was set up in 1997 and we can only accommodate 140 people. We have 130 aged and disabled residents at the moment. However, there are still people coming to apply for accommodation. Some residents, like Bernard Barocowitz, after moving into the old age home, have not seen the outside world for seven years." “In these seven years, he seldom had visitors or a chance go out again. “The residents all need 24 hours care and their family cannot look after them.” By JIN JING