The Elder’s Voice opens daycare centre
The Golden Girls will house sit or pet sit in the Toti area at a cost of R150 a day.
Need to go away and worried about leaving your elderly mom or dad alone? Why not book them into granny and grandpa daycare.
“Perhaps you need to go on a business trip and you don’t want to worry about them. Or they are recovering from an operation and you can’t be there to look after them? Call us to make arrangements for them to stay with us for a couple of days,” said founder of The Elder’s Voice, Joanne Herbst.
“We have male and female rooms set up at our 8 Lomond Road house. They will be well taken care of, with 24-hour carers and all their meals, to give you peace of mind while you are away. They will also have companionship from the house’s residents. They may enjoy it so much, they might never want to go home, but that’s your problem.”
The ingenious idea is a way to bring in much-needed revenue for the house. The cost of the ‘daycare’ is just R175 a day, a bargain with meals included. If you both work and are worried about leaving your frail mom or dad on their own every day, you can book them into daycare Monday to Friday at it will only cost you R3 500.
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“If you have your Christmas function and you don’t want to have to rush home, or if you want to go away on a short holiday by yourselves, or even if you just need a break, because looking after your mom or dad can be taxing, use our service,” said Joanne. “We realised there is such a great need in our community.”
Five residents have also taken the initiative to raise their own funds. Virginia Clarke, Lyn Bos, Briony Danks, Barbara van der Merwe, Clyle Edmunds and Pat Spencley, who call themselves The Golden Girls, will house sit or pet sit in the Toti area at a cost of R150 a day. Who more trustworthy can you find to look after your house and pets than a kindly old grandmother?
Aquarius Pharmacy and Plumstead Plumbers have come on board to sponsor the basic grocery bills of two of the houses, which equates to about R2 000 a month. If more local businesses can sponsor the remaining 10 houses, it will take a huge strain off Joanne’s shoulders.
She has also started collecting treats that the elders do not get everyday to present them each with a Christmas hamper. If you can donate, call her. This festive season, spare a thought for those elders who do not have any family who will be sitting alone in one of the houses. If you are hosting a dinner for family or friends, why not invite one or two over to join you. They have still got a lot of life in them and most have a brilliant sense of humour, so it will definitely improve the festivity around your dinner table.
READ ALSO: Support Elder’s Voice fundraiser and you could be cruising
To help, call Joanne on 079-028-6379 or email theeldersvoice@gmail.com. To donate, use the following banking details: The Elder’s Voice Pty Ltd, FNB, account number: 62816961743, branch code: 220127, reference your name and cellphone number. Send proof of payment to admin@eldersvoicekzn.co.za.
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