Cape Town - A Cape Town family is concerned about the well-being of their mother, who they believe is not provided adequate care at the Lotus River Place Old Age Home in Lotus River.
Juanita Gilbert said her mother, Louisa Lombard, 84, suffered from dementia and had alleged that the gold in her dentures had been stolen while she was at the Cape Peninsula Organisation (CPOA) facility.
A dentist’s note, which the Cape Argus has seen, stated that there were attempts to forcefully or deliberately remove the gold from the dentures.
“They told us that they will investigate the matter, but they did not get back to us. This is not the first time I lodged a complaint.
“The last time the complaint was not resolved. We also complained about the care she receives,” said Gilbert.
Her sister, Jenny Boesak, said the four siblings in Cape Town took turns to visit their mother each week, and took along a bag with goodies.
“My mother is also always very hungry whenever we visit. I asked permission to take my mother to the dentist and the dentist said my mother’s teeth were taken out with a warm thing, someone took something hot and you can also see there was scratching with another object in her mouth,” Boesak said.
Police told them it would be difficult to prove while the staff said the dentures were old and the gold had simply fallen out, she said.
Upon every visit, their mother would be wearing the same clothes and her hair was seldom washed, Boesak said.
Lotus River Place Old Age Home care operations manager Ansibel Kirsten said the CPOA had been investigating the matter since February 28 and email correspondence was done regularly with the family and their social worker.
“We are awaiting the photographic evidence the daughter said she had. In the meantime, we are trying to conclude our investigation.”
Kirsten said the outcome would be made known by Friday.
Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez’s spokesperson, Joshua Chigome, said the department worked closely with NGOs to prevent elder abuse.
“If any person suspects elder abuse, they can contact their nearest Social Development office.
“There are also non-governmental organisations that deal with the abuse of the elderly, and whose mandate includes awareness campaigns and initiatives,” Chigome said.
Action on Elder Abuse SA can be contacted at 021 426 5255, [email protected]; [email protected]; or call Halt Elder Abuse Line (HEAL) at 0800 00 30 81.