Old Age Homes often have to navigate through the stigma that is attached to Old Age Homes.
What are some of the reasons why an elderly person in this case elderly granny ends up in a home like ours. The reasons are not always negative or with malicious intent.


It is important to take note that in many cases we do counselling with loved ones because often they feel soo bad for being in a position of seeking assistance. Some loved ones sadly go through a lot of judgement.
It is important to recognize that Darushifa actively tries to avoid becoming what is called a ‘dumping ground’ for the elderly. We require active involvement when there are loved ones involved.

  1. In most cases the elderly granny does not have anywhere to go. It may be that she was never married and as such has no husband or children and may not have any family that she can rely on or extended family cannot accommodate her in their homes as they are already accommodating their parents or siblings of the granny are also elderly. At times family politics can also be reason.
  2. The granny may be very frail and elderly and if she does have a husband or children, the husband is frail or elderly himself and unable to care for his wife in the manner in which he wants her to be cared for. Same applies to the children who may be elderly themselves especially if you have an eighty odd year old mother then the children maybe in their sixties. There are instances where an elderly mother only has sons who want to protect her dignity and require assistance in caring for her especially with bathing or diaper changes. We had cases where the sons/children are either unemployed or elderly and on sassa or do not earn enough to care for the family as well as pay for private caregiver for their mother or there is no one at home in the day and leaving a parent with a caregiver on her own without supervision in their private space is not something that is easily done.
  3. The elderly granny/person may have a disorder or disease or chronic condition that the family is struggling to assist her with. She may also be stubborn, difficult, confused or struggling with dementia, Alzheimer’s or other such disorder that the family is not equipped to manage effectively to improve the living condition of their loved one.
    the above is not an exhaustive list of reasons but we hope that this has given you some food for thought from our experience.