Sun, 08 Nov 2009 2:44p.m.
By Elizabeth Hayes
A former Nigerian poultry vet is changing the lives of senior citizens in Southland.
Jide Samuals and his family moved to Invercargill from Nigeria seven years ago, and after seeing a need for better elderly care in the area, got rid of the chickens and started the region's first companionship business.
"I look after chickens," he says. "In Nigeria I'm a poultry vet, and now I look after the elderly, which is quite good, which is very challenging."
While volunteering for Meals on Wheels, the international entrepreneur discovered a gap in the market for the care of the elderly.
"Companionship is the main thing, and I have not seen any other one that provides companionship. That's the major area that I think is lacking."
He says when he'd pop by all they'd want is a bit of a chat, and being an out-of-towner meant there was always a lot to talk about.
"The very first question they ask is, 'Where are you from?" he says. "And then, 'How long have you been here?'"
He's now set up Good Partners, an elderly care business which provides older people with the company they need at home.
"Well I just wouldn't be at home," says client Hilda Wilson. "I would be tucked away in a nursing home in a little room or something."
"They're really hard workers, which I like," says June Moffatt.
They now have 12 clients and 10 carers, and family members say it's a godsend.
"It's meant a lot to us," says Helen Mary Fraser. "It's meant a lot because we can feel my mother is safe when we are not here, and it's been wonderful, just great."
With more clients signing up every day, the chickens have fallen to the wayside, replaced by good old ducks.
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