Remembering the elderly in a time of need

Some of the items given to Uncle Eddie’s Home back in July

Acclaimed American poet Maya Angelou once said, “If you find it in your heart to care for someone else, you will have succeeded”.

There have been countless instances where kindness has impacted on those who are most in need – most significantly, the elderly among us.

Uncle Eddie’s Home is a retirement home for the elderly, located at 826-829 Jackson Street, Tucville, Georgetown. It is manned by 14 employees on a shift system to cater to residents, both males and females, who pay a small monthly rent. Even though it was established in 1965, and has come a long way since then, the facility is still in dire need of assistance.

Recognizing this need, students (Queen Gaju Wamungu, Crystal Loney and Jodene Brevitte) from Greenheart Medical University and Rajiv Gandhi University, in association with Deskan Institute & Training, Inc., joined forces to raise awareness and gather donations to benefit Uncle Eddie’s Home.

Face masks to use during the COVID-19 pandemic

With contributions from other medical students, Ram’s Pharmacy, Neighbourhood Express Pharmacy, and kind donations from the public, they were able to contribute face masks, pharmaceuticals (such as vitamins and glucose testing kits), food items (such as rice, flour, sugar, milk, salt, beans, garlic, oats, oil, juice mix, canned food); toiletries (such as adult pampers and toilet paper, soap), and other items.

These items were well received by Administrator of Uncle Eddie’s Home Mrs. Bonita Moore, who expressed her gratitude for the well-needed donations.

Wamungu, Loney and Brevitte were heartened by the gracious acceptance of their gesture and used the opportunity to call for others to recognise the importance of such contributions, particularly in times as tough as these. They emphasised that, “Our hope is that is that more people will come on board to donate frequently to assist our elders in need”.

Their message is one that will surely resonate.