Meet Uganda Henry Katongole, recipient of our travel bursary supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Healthy Ageing Challenge!
We are delighted Henry Katongole has accepted our offer of our 2023 travel bursary, supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Healthy Ageing Challenge, to attend the Global Ageing Conference, 7-8 September 2023, Glasgow, Scotland.
Henry is the Country Deputy Director (CDD) of the Geriatric Respite Care Foundation, Uganda (GRCF-U). He joined the organisation eight years ago as a junior staff member, and due to his commitment, love, experience and academic papers, he was appointed as CDD of GRCF-U three years ago.
When he was appointed the position, it was in the pandemic and with restricted movements, it was a particularly challenging time. However, Henry rose to the challenge to ensure organisation’s mission of providing community long term care to older persons especially in the hard-to-reach communities continued.
Under Henry’s initiation, the organisation has started the process to establish an Inventory Centre (store) of Assistive Technology Products. Working with other professionals, this centre will support the accessibility of AT equipment for both older Ugandans and people with a disability.
The aim is to help this cohort to be safer and have greater independence. In addition, the centre aims to reduce loneliness and isolation.
As well as connecting communities there will also be training and education sessions to enable the people who are using the service to learn more about technology; in doing so it will reduce the stereotype of technology and older persons.
Healthy Ageing
As a dedicated advocate for older people, Henry is working with the Foundation in the strategy to meet the Decade of Healthy Ageing’s three thematic areas:
- Advocacy and training
- Improve quality of Care and Management (Long term care for older persons) then
- Engage and empower communities
“To make a difference in the lives of older persons, their families and communities I am thinking of focusing much on the Engagement and empowering communities which almost encompasses all the components of the decade for healthy ageing,” he says. “It is personal-centered, Integrated health care and Primary health care services through GRCF-U’s Community-Based Clubs (CBC) which are led to improve the conditions of other older persons, especially the frail.
“Our CBC have collective activities benefiting themselves and their communities. Activities include, Long Life Learning, Healthy and Active Ageing, Community Based Care, Food and Income Security, Advocacy, Social and Cultural all the above help us change the way we think, feel and act towards old age and ageing.
Henry is currently contacting Uganda’s policy makers asking them to raise issues of funding ageing activities. He is also looking at ways to actively combat ageism.
By partnering with us, the benefits of UKRI’s Healthy Ageing Challenge research and innovation can assist Henry in organising more activities to promote healthy ageing, combat ageism in Uganda.
UKRI’s Healthy Ageing Challenge aims to help people remain active, productive, independent and socially connected across generations for as long as possible. It does this by enabling businesses, including social enterprises, to develop and deliver beneficial products, services and business models.
We are very much looking forward to meeting Henry at the conference, and learning more about his work, and care and ageing services in Uganda.
Find out more about CommonAge’s activities, supported by UKRI at the Global Ageing Conference here.
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