Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Dr Josefa Koroivueta has stressed that state homes are there to provide care for senior citizens whose families do not have the means to care for the elderly and is not a place where people can permanently leave their parents or grandparents.
When questioned by Fijivillage on what the Ministry is doing as senior citizens at state homes sometimes do not see their families after being taken to the home, Koroivueta says that a day care system for senior citizens will soon be introduced at the three state homes in Samabula, Natabua and Labasa to address negligence of senior citizens.
Koroivueta says that the new day care concept for senior citizens will enable people to care for the elderly in their families adding that people need to care for the elderly in their families and to spend time with them as it is our parents and grandparents who have spent a lot of their life building families.
There are a total of 130 residents at the 3 state homes in Suva, Natabua and Labasa.
Samabula currently has 58 residents, Lautoka has 44 residents while 28 residents are currently being cared for at the Labasa home.
