Inclusive Healthcare at FAME: Bridging Age Gaps
Riziki
Riziki*, a 59-year-old woman, has been a valued member of our FAME community for many years. She has relied on FAME for her healthcare for over a decade. As she has entered her later years, Riziki has encountered various health issues that required medical attention. Her village is 20 miles away from FAME. Although this is not close, her journey is considerably shorter than many of our other patients, some of whom travel up to 100 miles or even more to reach FAME.
Riziki visited FAME today to address an issue concerning her feet. It all began as small, fluid-filled bumps that eventually became large, painful blisters. She had sought help at her local clinic several times, but the prescribed medication didn't seem to work and the blisters continued to worsen. Additionally, Riziki was dealing with a persistent and severe cough, prompting her to finally make the trip to FAME for medical assistance.
“Over the past few years, I’ve had many health issues, but they were mostly minor. I would visit FAME’s Outpatient Clinic, consult with a doctor, receive medication and within days, I would recover. However, my only son died in a terrible road accident last year. The grief and shock hit me so hard that my health took a turn for the worse. I noticed I was getting sick more often as I didn’t take good care of myself.”
Upon her arrival at FAME, Riziki was admitted to FAME's inpatient ward and underwent a foot X-ray to identify the cause of her mysterious blisters. The scans showed no serious internal damage and that the blisters had only resulted in a surface wound. The medical team treated her foot and dressed the wound. They decided to keep her at FAME for four days to closely observe her foot's progress and address the severe cough.
“I was really scared when I got here. I was worried about my foot and feared they might have to cut it off. I live with my grandchildren and the thought of being unable to play with them or care for them was devastating. But the doctors gave comforting advice that slowly made me feel less anxious. I’m happy to report that I’m feeling much better, almost like my usual self. I’m excited about returning home to my grandchildren.”
Riziki will have to visit her local hospital for dressing changes as FAME is too far for travel daily. Her next check-up is two weeks from today. Before leaving FAME, she received medication for her foot and to address her cough.
“I’m thankful that FAME helps me stay healthy. As an older person, I sometimes worry that I burden the doctors by coming here. I don’t work anymore, so I used to think that young people should have the doctors’ attention because they have their whole lives ahead of them and work to do. But at FAME, they’ve shown me that despite my age, I deserve the same care and attention as the younger patients. I’m truly grateful for that.”
*The patient’s name has been changed to protect their privacy and permission was secured to share her story. This interview has been translated from Swahili to English.
