Zimbabwe Pensioners Struggling To Cope Emotionally And Physically

Last week two of the ZANE field workers were faced with a dreadful scenario when they discovered that one of our diabetic pensioners had been subjected to an amputation of his toes under local anaesthetic in his own home.

Mr F had refused to go into hospital as he was terrified of Covid. He then tried to source the money needed to have intravenous antibiotics at home but by the time this was all in place, gangrene had set in, and somehow, he agreed to a local Doctor amputating half his foot in his flat in an unsterile environment. Needless to say, this poor man died from complications a couple of days later and we are all devastated that we could not do more to save him.

Mrs. J (in her 90’s) who is normally a bright, cheerful, and happy person has now withdrawn into herself with little or no desire for conversation. I did the renewal with Mr. C, a family friend, who handles all her financial affairs so I did not see her in person as the care home is still in total lockdown. Mrs. J has had no visitors for many months, no stimulation, or the attention of anyone who could make her feel good about herself. Mr. C is very worried about her but does not know what to do about this. He phones her once a week and finds she is less and less talkative, ending the conversation after very little time. How sad, yet another victim of Covid.

Mrs. S (late ’80s) at a different home, was less down-hearted than Mrs. J but was more ‘nervy’, hyperactive, and inappropriately giggly than ever before when we did the interview. For over a year now, she has had very serious shingles which has started to fade but has left her with painful neuralgia. She tries to keep busy but as with everyone, has had huge reductions in what she can do because of Covid.

*Names may have changed for privacy reasons