Philomena Anyanwu is the CEO and founder of EL-Aged Care Ltd., a non-governmental organization working on integrated community care and support for older persons in rural communities in Imo State, Nigeria. She is a gerontologist, social worker, project manager, and IT professional, passionate about care for older persons – demonstrating this through implementing various activities and engagements through EL-Aged Care, such as medical outreaches, home-based care and support, social and community programs, and advocacy work.
For example, Philomena Anyanwu through her work with EL-Aged Care has built an adult day centre, a friendly, safe and secure environment, at Umuneke-Ugiri in Imo State, Nigeria catering for up to 500 adults through a range of social and health care services. The centre is currently working on a pilot project to implement a Chronic Disease Self-Management intervention program to educate and assist older people in making informed decisions about care. This intervention will also help to strengthen older people’s capacity and confidence to adopt and maintain lasting health behaviour change, to avert further progression of chronic disease conditions and thus improve quality of life. These efforts have been very fruitful but has been sustained so far solely with financial support from Philomena Anyanwu and her husband.
Recognising that independent work to support older people can only go so far, Philomena Anyanwu also founded a coalition of NGOs, the "Association of Care Service Providers to Older Persons in Nigeria" (ACSPOPIN), aimed at improving the quality of life for the older person and provision of a wholistic standard of care by providers through capacity building, resource mobilization, standardization, advocacy, quality assurance and quality control. The association through her leadership has raised the bar of standard of care by developing the first ever care quality standard in Nigeria guiding care practice.
Philomena Anyanwu’s work to improve the lives of older people in her local community in ways connected to the broader landscape of support and advocacy work for across Nigeria is an inspirational example of how joined up responses can unlock the possibility of increased impact for healthy ageing.