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"content": "these old people have got double burden. Most of them are taking care of their grandchildren. The other challenge that they are facing is loneliness, mostly in cases where one of the partners, either the wife or husband, has died. While some of us may have money to take care of our parents, we also need to provide immediate comfort. I once brought my father to stay with me in Nairobi and he told me to take him back home the following day. This was because of the nature of the house and everything else. Most of them prefer the village. As Sen. Mwaruma said, the elderly people suffer from very simple and easy to take care of diseases. If they are diagnosed earlier, they can be assisted. As Sen. Cheruiyot has put it, to fit in our culture well, the Bill provides for home nursing and mobile nurses, who will be going from one village to another one and helping these people in terms of counseling and diagnosis of diseases. Therefore, this Bill has come at the right time. Madam Temporary Speaker, poverty has also taken its toll on a part of our society, and these people are really suffering. I noticed that when we were donating blankets in Bomet County on Monday, and they were really appreciative. I heard one elderly woman saying: “Thank God, I will sleep properly today.” We might ignore such small things, but to them, even a blanket is very important. Another challenge is poor nutrition, because these people stick to one type of food for a long time. Whether we come up with structures to take care of them or not, it is still expensive to the Government in terms of medication and other expenses. Madam Temporary Speaker, I support this Bill because it also touches on some very important areas. I have seen a lot of stigma, especially in those countries which isolate old people from traditional families. When they approach the age to be taken to homes for the elderly, they normally feel very bad and are stigmatised. However, as Sen. Pareno said earlier, Sen. Cheruiyot’s Bill provides alternatives; for example, home nursing, where the old people will be taken care of at home. The provision of mobile nursing services, which will meet the needs of these people in their contexts and cultural backgrounds, is good. That is why I support this Bill. I would not have supported a Bill that will distance our parents from us. However, this Bill is quite accommodative of the many needs of our society. Madam Temporary Speaker, this Bill will also help us to fight corruption. I remember that some county governments used to send money to the elderly people through their mobile phones. This money never used to be accounted for by the counties. This Bill has provided that both the national Government and county governments will provide a proper framework of how these older people will be taken care of. I have seen some county governments giving the elderly Kshs1,500 or Kshs2,000. Do these people really need this money or are we just making an assumption? The previous County Government of Bomet used to give money to old people through their mobile phones. I remember one elderly man, after withdrawing that money, went to drink alcohol and by the end of the day, he died. Therefore, apart from the assumption that we normally make - that the moment we give them money, we have solved their problems - this Bill will provide a proper framework of services beyond The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes"
}