The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

CARETAKERS throughout New Providence say the constant power outages in the capital are putting the health of their elderly patients at risk.

A number of assisted care home workers told The Tribune the power cuts have stressed out the old folks in their senior care facilities and destroyed the medication and equipment they need to administer care.

Esther Outten, who works for Unity House nursing home, told this newspaper that the outages have forced them to throw out medication and food.

“It’s doing us bad up in here in this old folks home, these old people suffering under here,” she said.

“Every Jesus day it (power) go off and on and right now, all the insulin what we have for the people they get hot and we can’t use them no more.”

Mrs Outten said electricity usually goes off multiple times a week and added that just last night, their power went off at 10 pm and didn’t come back until 2 o’clock in the morning.

“We have to feed these people four times a day...it is terrible because the little bit of food you get you have to throw it out, because the current been off so long and the food begin to spoil.”

Theresa Bastian, a caretaker from Good Samaritan Homes, said although they have emergency lights, the power cuts still affect them “tremendously.”

“We have patients who really need to have oxygen and we can’t even give them it,” she said.

“Some of these patients have to go back to the hospital until the situation comes back in effect, so this is really bad.”

Patricia Moxey, owner of Pat’s Senior Citizen Home, said the outages have also forced her to purchase a “big generator” that cost her almost $40,000.

“The electricity goes off two to three times a day,” she said.

“This has been happening for a long time and it’s at the point now where it’s even messing up all my equipment. My appliances and stuff have been affected.”

Mrs Moxey said that electricians have told her voltage from the constant power cuts have knocked out everything in the nursing home, including their cable, internet and phone connections.

“It’s really been a trying time for me especially (because) this is my peak time right now,” she said.

“While I sympathise with BPL, something needs to be done.”

Mrs Moxey said having power is crucial for the care facility, because it provides care for senior citizens with diabetes, hypertension and cancer.

“I’m doing the community a service because they can never pay people to take their loved ones, especially some of them in the condition they’re in.”

“We still have to pay our electricity bill. They should be asking us: ‘Can I compensate you in anyway? Can I reduce your bill or something?”

Mrs Moxey said she would feel much better about the situation if BPL showed some “spirit of empathy” when communicating with customers, and insisted that she only wanted them “to show a little care.”

BPL have started posting load shedding schedules and updates on social media through the company's Facebook page.

On Thursday, communities throughout New Providence were affected by 3-hour load shedding rotations that lasted until 9 pm.