Algoa Bay Council for the Aged (acronym ABCA) is a registered welfare organisation providing a diversity of services to the elderly and those with similar needs in the Eastern Cape.

The main objective being to render services that will enable the older person to remain active and independent in the community. First prize being keeping the older person out of expensive institutions and frail care all together. Great care is therefore taken to structure all projects around active ageing and elderly beneficiaries are presented with alternatives to frail care and institutionalisation. The success of our projects can be measured against the high age reached by many of our elderly beneficiaries despite their financial situation and degree of frailty.

Focussing on the sub economic elderly surviving on a state pension of R1080 per month and in particular those older persons with little or no family support ABCA achieves their objectives by providing the following:

- Three easily accessible service centres that are open daily, providing subsidised midday meals and opportunities for social interaction and volunteerism. Benefitting those older persons still resident in the community and in particular those who live alone, the service centres are a safe haven where older persons get to spend at least part of their day amongst their peers whilst they enjoy their midday meal as well as free transport to and from the centres, to special outings and on shopping trips, counselling and advice from two social workers, a planned daily activity programme, library with large print books, hairdressing services, a clinic and assistance with the collection of chronic medication as well as the opportunity to participate in all the events, sponsored outings and functions arranged by ABCA via their networking partners and fundraising projects. Older persons from all over the Metro attend. The most prevalent problems encountered by the elderly beneficiaries in the community remain poverty, family / relationship breakdown, shortage of suitable accommodation, abuse and neglect.

- Particularly beneficial to elderly beneficiaries is our Auxiliary work service that entails the collecting and delivering of repeat chronic medication from hospitals and clinics especially for those who are housebound and cannot afford public transport to visit hospitals on a monthly basis.

- Another alternative to institutionalisation is our home care service where trained home carers are placed in the homes of those aged who want to be cared for in their own homes. 90% of all the recipients are group 111 who were successfully kept out of institutions or delayed admission to a frail care facility.

- Then there is a sponsored home care service for residents of our facilities who are in need of special care, and cannot access institutional care for financial (cannot afford) or practical (no vacancies) reasons. Beneficiaries of this service must be classified as sub economic with minimal or no family assistance to qualify.

- Our low cost unsubsidised rooming house with 54 furnished and serviced rooms accommodates 64 aged persons who need assisted living. Most of the residents in this facility suffer from age related psychiatric problems and are unable to cope in the broader community. The majority of them are sub economic with little or no family contact.

- Our low cost accommodation housing scheme consisting of 322 units offer affordable accommodation to 390 indigent elderly in self catering units comprising of one bed cottages with bathrooms for couples and bed sitters with communal bathrooms for single persons. This facility is also unsubsidised and 75% of the residents survive on a state pension of R1080 per month.

Both these facilities remain fully occupied and demand for accommodation is great. The growing waiting list indicating the critical shortage of affordable accommodation for the sub economic in the Metro.

- A home help service for those who need help to cope with domestic tasks they can no longer perform. This small measure of assistance keeps them independent and in their own homes and communities surrounded by all that is near and dear to them.

- Our skills development project offers older persons the opportunity to keep busy, to utilise their inherent creative skills, to supplement their incomes and to help others in need at the same time. They are encouraged to enter the Pretty Things for Little Things project which is twofold. They stand the chance of winning super prizes and their articles are distributed to disadvantaged children.

- Our promotional programmes such as the Elder Abuse Awareness Campaign keeps the elderly and the public informed and offers brochures in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa as well as a portable display and useful handouts with essential contact details. Several road shows are held throughout the year at various pension pay points, shopping centres and community centres.

- Assistance is offered to emerging organisations and groups dealing with the aged in disadvantaged areas and our social workers manage and are part of networking programmes that focus on alternatives to institutional care. Support and training is provided to care givers and NGOs and resources are shared with our networking partners.

WE NEED:
- People who are willing to adopt older persons by sponsoring meal tickets on a monthly basis. R100 can purchase a midday meal for a sub economic older person for 8 days.
- Toiletries and cleaning materials which are considered as luxury items when surviving on a state pension of R1080 per month.
- Funding or the sponsorship of material and labour to install showers and upgrade some of the communal bathrooms at Buffelsfontein Village.
- Funding or the sponsorship of material and labour to refurbish the harvey tile roof at Cuylerholme Rooms.
- Funding or the sponsorship of material and labour to replace a wooden floor in the annex building at Cuylerholme Rooms.
- A donation of lace and curtaining for the lounge area at Cuylerholme Rooms.
- The sponsorship or funding to cover the lounge suite at Cuylerholme Rooms.
- People willing to adopt lone older persons in order to remember their birthdays and special days like Mothers Day and Christmas as well as taking them grocery parcels on a monthly basis.
- Ingredients for the preparation of meals in our two kitchens. Not having to purchase certain staple ingredients like rice, sugar, coffee, tea, eggs etc allows ABCA to pass on the savings to the elderly beneficiaries by offering larger portions, a pudding and or fruit as well as better quality meat cuts.
- Maize Meal, milk and sugar in order to provide porridge for the 64 residents of Cuylerholme rooms in the mornings.
- Incontinence nappies for some of our older beneficiaries who benefit from our sponsored home care project.

Operates in: Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
Established in: 1961

Non-Profit Organisation Number: 003-491
Public Benefit Organisation Number: 130001667
Section 21 Company Number:
Trust Number:

Contact person: Maureen Andreka
Phone: 041 368 8434
Fax: 041 368 8438
Email:

Website: www.abca.co.za

Physical address: Buffelsfontein Village, 17th Avenue, Charlo, Port Elizabeth
Postal address: P O Box 15333, Emerald Hill, 6011