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. 57