A health-tech company, Gerocare, has stressed the need to enhance preventive care for parents and the elderly, to reduce the burden of preventable diseases and deaths.
Dr Ebi Ofrey, Founder, Gerocare, said this on Tuesday during a virtual news conference ahead of the forthcoming Gerocare Fifth Anniversary.
Ofrey noted that geriatric care was inaccessible to many elderly persons in Nigeria, leading to deteriorating health conditions and untimely deaths.
According to him, care of the elderly should be improved, noting that many Nigerians were losing their parents and elderly to various non-communicable diseases.
He said that to bridge this health service gaps, Gerocare was formed to provide regular physician home visits for the elderly to prevent deterioration in their health, maintain a healthy state of mind and improved quality of life.
“We do this by identifying and managing their health conditions in a timely manner, thereby not only improving their quality of life, but also ensuring peace of mind for both the elderly and their loved ones.
“Your parents deserve long, fruitful and healthy years in their old age, no matter the village your aged parent lives in, Gerocare will get to them,” he said.
Ofrey noted that the company since inception had impacted over 115, 000 users and won various international awards including the World Health Organisation Top 30 Africa Health Innovation Award.
“The key milestone for us is not the award but every single person that we’ve impacted and prevented from having a stroke or heart attack,” he said.
Also, Dr Ajibola Meraiyebu, Co-founder, Gerocare, said subscribers on the company’s platform received regular and detailed updates on their health status, steps to take to prevent illnesses and efficient ways to manage their health.
Meraiyebu noted that the company was working on expanding its footprint to reach more underserved persons and extend its services beyond Nigeria to Ethiopia and South-Africa.
He said that Gerocare was promoting preventive healthcare through health education and care that reminded the elderly that they are loved and their wellbeing important to their loved ones.
Speaking on Gerocare fifth anniversary celebration, Meraiyebu said that the planned activities reflect the company’s slogan of “Care for life.”
Meraiyebu said that the anniversary activities which would start from Aug. 29 to Sept. 2 , would feature a health walk, dance for wellness, health talk, social networking among others.