17 Sep 2019

National Vision 2036 board member has yesterday applauded ERP Unity church in Kanye for remembering elders who laid the foundation for what the congregation has become.

Speaking during the event that saw church elders being treated to free body massage, blankets and walking stick presents, guest speaker Dr Lemogang Kwape argued that the noblest thing for anyone to do in life was to take care of those who raised them to become the best they could be.

Dr Kwape, also epidemiologist and public health specialist explained that the gesture would go a long way in giving the elders warmth and serve as a constant reminder that they were still being appreciated by the church. 

He explained that the elderly were naturally weak, lonely, vulnerable and tended to feel unappreciated during the twilight of their lives.

He said elderly people had a special place in his heart because he was raised by his paternal grandmother. He said his grandmother used to bake and sell bread to pupils to raise funds for household necessities. This he said influenced his career path and shaped his perspective on life.

Meanwhile, Dr Kwape advised the elderly to eat fiber rich foods such as beans with sorghum or maize, reduce salt, fats, sugar intake, and drink more water. Fatty, sugary or salty foods devoid of fiber, he warned, took a longer time in the large intestine,  predisposing people to such conditions as sugar diabetes and hypertension.

But after studying food science for close to 20 years, Dr Kwape said it dawned on him that there were no healthier foods than the ones they were fed growing up such as lohata, dikgobe and logodu. He observed that people of old used to have a longer lifespan because of the food they ate, adding “You are what you eat”.

He further warned church members to be concerned if a day or two went by without visiting the toilet. He said that could be a sign that they were not eating healthy foods. Event organiser and Leading Age Foundation (LAF) director Mr Percy Moroka shared that his organisation took keen interest on the elderly. He said they were informed by the fact with old age came with many ailments. 

He urged government to come up with a specific programme that would address some day to day challenges faced by the elderly, adding that some were being abused by own children or caretakers. Church overseer Arch Bishop Tshenolo Mautle also commended the youth for the initiative. He said it was imperative for the church to stand up and be counted. He said their force of example glorified God. Main sponsor Mr Pontsho Lenkopane said his family donated blankets and walking sticks out of love not affluence. 

Mr Lekopane shared that he donated to LAF part of the money he had won from a competition run by Shell  to thank God for his blessings and appreciate the role elders had played in his life. 

He said it was through God that he was picked out of 2 000 competitors. ends