The Tribune

By Earyel Bowleg

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

SUPPLIES are running short at some elderly homes and for charity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Reverend Kendal Capron, who runs The Good Samaritan Senior Citizen’s Home on Claridge Road, told The Tribune that food, water, adult diapers and cleaning products such as bleach are running low.

Usually, items are donated and Rev Capron said while he appreciates help from people such as the area’s MP, Marvin Dames, he needs assistance.

“They don’t give the cash anymore, they don’t give the cheque anymore,” he explained.

“There’s not much family members is coming to help... some will come but with 30 maybe five of the relatives would come and would donate now and then when they could.”

“It’s very, very expensive to take care of elderly people. People don’t understand that. Our light bill right now is over $5,000. Every month, mostly they put on $1,000 on the Good Samaritan home and we know we don’t use that amount of current.”

“We have to pay the electrical bill. We have the phone bill. We have the cable and all of that we have to pay and way over $60,000 a month to run that home.”

Rev Capron also claimed that prices at food stores had sharply increased. He said: “When you go to the food store now what’s for a dollar is now five dollars, now whenever you go in the food store the price is doubled, some is tripled – price is that way.”

Frances Ledee, at Persis Rodgers Home For The Aged, said protective gowns are “desperately” needed as they are unable to find them.

“There was a contact we had with the health people how we could get it and the cost would be. Maybe one for each person and how much they will give.”

Lysol, diapers, alcohol, bleach and cleaning wipes were high in demand for Ms Ledee as well as money with a need for donations to help keep the home going.

She said of residents: “Their family aren’t able to pay much. We pay on an average, the average old person in this home pays about $379 or so per month. That’s what we charge them –- that’s a little bit.

“So, we’ve had to always try to raise funds to keep the home going you see and so we’re always looking for financial contributions, but we’ve had a hard time this year because you know Dorian was a necessary need that people had to transfer their contribution I know but it affected us and then here we have this other pandemic.”

Sean Brennen, director general for the Bahamas Red Cross, is seeking cash donations to pay food and personal hygiene parcels. The charity is also providing $100 and $50 food vouchers to use at Super Value grocery stores.

He said: “There’ve been several instances where there’ve been back orders but are slowly getting a flow of supplies. So the wholesalers have been providing us with items.”

“What we’ve also done is we’ve sought to purchase items overseas. So we’re tapping into other Red Cross national societies and we’re trying to do bigger purchases, group purchases, or bulk purchases.”

Mr Brennen said the Bahamas Red Cross would love to have more volunteers but are limited due to the need to reduce social gatherings. Volunteers are asked when specialised skills are required. He said psychosocial support was one area of concern.

He said: “We realise that families now, in several instances, the whole economy has been turned completely upside down. You have families now who are confined to their homes. You have a lot of family members now who are uncertain pertaining to job prospects and job security, their ability to feed their family.

“So we have a psychosocial support hotline where individuals are able to contact us and just to help them through in terms of managing the different levels or different types of stress that they are confronted with at this particular time.”

The hotline number is 828-4121.