CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 61
W
right was the last of 30 residents
to be fed, and his serving of
porridge was cold; cold until
it began to sweat and curdle.
The meal was an undesirable
meal, but it was all that was provided. Half an
hour later, the bowl was empty and he went
back to a foetal position.
From its White Marl, St. Catherine location, the
St. Monica’s Home for the Aged provides what
food and shelter it can to elderly residents who
are homeless and or have been abandoned. The
brown and yellow-painted facility on Mandela
Highway has only 10 rooms to accommodate
its many residents.
The male and female wards stand opposite each
other and three people are made to share a
room. Each room is outfitted with three cots
and a ceiling fan. There are two bathrooms and
both are situated at the end of the wards. The
privately operated facility also has an office, a
washroom and a recreational area, although
the latter is hardly used by the residents.
Similar to other nursing homes, St. Monica’s
fails to provide the quality of care that elderly
residents deserve.
The scent of a mixture of urine, filth and sweat
lingers in some rooms of the facility. Swarms
of flies were an ever-present visual. The flies
would attack uncovered food and drink left by
residents, presumably to be consumed at a later
time. Flies found landing spots on the lips and
faces of residents. Workers and visitors were
not spared the nuisance.
Eighty-year-old Allan Edge was sitting in a
wheelchair with no shoes as the flies swarmed
his dirty dress pants that he had been wearing
for a week. He remained unbothered by the
insects pitching on his lips and dirt-crusted toes,
as there were no visible attempts to repel them.
Instead, he continued to look at the passing
cars in silence.
Analyses of Jamaican media content would highlight
that neglect of the elderly is not uncommon
in nursing homes across the island. In 2011,
a newspaper article exposed the inhumane
treatment of residents at the governmentoperated Vineyard Town Golden Age Home in
St. Andrew. They found that “several disabled
residents were left to wallow on dirty floors and
there were more flies than the 427 residents
living there at the time”.
Unsanitary conditions is but one of the challenges
that plague nursing homes in Jamaica and, as a
result, health inspectors are tasked with ensuring
that conditions in these facilities are conducive
to a healthy lifestyle.
Jean Scott, supervisor at the St. Monica’s Home
for the Aged, said health inspectors visit the
home every six months and th ree janitors are
employed by the facility.
One of the three, Tanya Daley, works from 6:00am
to 3:00pm each day. She told CARIMAC Times
that staff are required to clean twice per day
and she does so in the mornings and afternoons.
However, during a month-long stay at the home,
the floors were observed being mopped only
once each day.
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