The University of Benin Teaching Hospital on Wednesday said that its newly established Geriatric Unit would spring into action in the next eight weeks. The hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Michael Ibadin, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Benin that the unit would care for old persons who might not necessarily be sick. We have a unit that is coming up; the hospital is almost 40 years but this will be the first time we are going to have a geriatric unit. “We have sponsored a consultant physician abroad to study the care of the elderly and she is back in the country. “A ward has been earmarked in the hospital for geriatrics but some modifications need to be done in the ward to suit the needs of old people. “After the modifications, the geriatric ward will be opened for use by the public,” the professor said. Ibadin disclosed that 20 nurses would be trained to run the unit in the hospital. “These are elderly people who may not be sick. “Some may be sick; so, the nurses who will be taking care of them must have to be patient, because taking care of the elderly is a bit challenging. “Geriatric care is for old people who may not necessarily have any disease but they are taken care of because of their age,” he said. He added that the geriatric care services would be such that the average family could afford. “It will not be too cheap because we do not want a situation where people will dump their aged and run away. “And it will not be too expensive because it is a government-owned hospital,” Ibadin said.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 15:55:25 +0000
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