U.S. Experts Train on Elderly Care Nursing

A new nursing professional orientation is creeping into and gaining fertile roots in Cameroon. It is the nursing care for the elderly called "geriatric nursing". The Buea-based Saint Francis School of Health Sciences is credited for introducing this novel and ground breaking science and technology in Cameroon. After training seven high-level geriatric nurses of international standard, since 2010, the School was once more on the podium recently when it imported eminent expert lecturers from two Universities of Philadelphia (USA) to deliver fresh lectures on Geriatric Nursing developments.

Drs. Cheryl Portwood and Jean MacFadyen from Drexel University School of Nursing and Health Professions, and Dr. James Portwood of Temple University spent weeks in Buea to help develop a Post Graduate curriculum for Saint Francis School of Health Sciences. In addition, the experts have accepted to provide continual mentorship to the School.

Welcoming the experts at the Biaka's Saint Veronica Clinic and School, the Administrator of the unit, Maboh Michel Nkwati, rejoiced that with the international experts, the School meets Cameroon's unique needs as well as international standards. He prided that NGOs like Care for the Elderly Widows and Orphans (CEWO) were lending a hand of partnership so that Cameroon may in addition to provoking health policy discussions also prepare to grow from exclusive family elderly care to alternative professionalised nursing care of people of the third age.

He praised the continuous support of Ministerial departments like Health, Social Affairs and the Buea Municipal Council. Mr. Bejuka George Ngung, General Coordinator of CEWO, offered souvenir gifts to the visiting experts calling for closer collaboration so that Cameroonian elderly could in the future exchange visits with USA counterparts. He called on the Councils to budget for the elderly and design programmes for them so that they who are still young today could enjoy such in their turn.