Taking care of old people is a career
Caring for the old people needs someone who has love for looking after the senior citizens.
Phoko Mongale is a centre manager at the Tsakane Old Age Home.
His daily duties include ensuring that the old people at the centre are well taken care of.
He studied human resources management at the University of South Africa and has a certificate in finance.
Mongale says in order for one to qualify to look after the senior citizens, you need to do a social work diploma or ancillary nursing at university for a minimum of three years.
He says despite the fact that he has been working with old people for three years, there are still challenges that the centre is faced with.
Mongale explains that most centres are faced with not having sufficient funds, big enough accommodation and enough staff members.
He says after getting the needed qualifications from a university, one can look for work at any of the institutions that care for the old people.
However, Mongale says working at the centre means working on a voluntary basis.
“The old age centres are mostly the non profit organisations,which means rendering services voluntarily” says Mongale.
He encourages young people to join the centres and take care of the senior citizens or study courses that will open doors for them to work as social workers, centre managers or nurses for the old people at these centres.
