Elderly Mobile Health Check-ups

ELDERLY ASSISTANCE NETWORK (EAN)

Health and Home-Based Care Report

27 July – 2 October 2026

1. Background

The Elderly Assistance Network (EAN) conducted a series of activities from 27 July to 2 October 2026 as part of its ongoing work to improve access to healthcare, promote medication adherence, identify nutrition concerns, and support the wellbeing of older people in underserved communities.

The activities included basic health checks conducted alongside the community dialogues, home visits, and a healthcare outreach.

The activities were conducted with the support of Kahoko, a JICA volunteer nurse, who joined EAN during home visits and the healthcare outreach.

The activities provided an opportunity to identify health concerns among older people and understand some of the challenges affecting access to and continued use of essential medicines.

2. Objectives

• Conduct basic health checks among older people.
• Identify older people with elevated blood pressure and other health concerns.
• Assess medication adherence and identify barriers to accessing prescribed medicines.
• Provide health education and advice on medication adherence.
• Identify nutrition concerns among older people.
• Provide appropriate referrals to health facilities.
• Conduct home-based follow-up and assess the needs of older people in their homes.
• Strengthen EAN's collaboration and learning with health professionals and partners.

3. Activities Conducted

The activities were conducted as follows:

3.1 Basic Health Checks 

During the community dialogues, EAN also conducted basic health checks for older people.

The health checks helped identify health concerns that required further follow-up and referral. The findings from this activity were considered together with information collected during the subsequent home visits and healthcare outreach.

The community dialogue itself was documented separately in the EAN Community Dialogue Report.

3.2 Home Visits – 27 July - 2 October 2026 ( 6 home visits conducted)

 EAN conducted home visits to 25 households of older people.

The visits focused on understanding the health and care needs of older people in their homes.

Activities included:

• Blood pressure checks.
• Blood sugar monitoring.
• Asking clients about their health and medication.
• Medication adherence discussions.
• Nutrition assessment.
• Health education and advice.
• Identifying clients requiring further follow-up or referral.

EAN was supported by Kahoko, a JICA volunteer nurse, during the home visits. Kahoko assisted with checking blood pressure and blood sugar and engaged directly with clients by asking questions about their health and wellbeing.

Her participation provided an opportunity for knowledge sharing and practical collaboration between EAN and a health professional.

3.3 Healthcare Outreach – 10 August - 1st October ( 6 outreach sessions conducted)

 EAN conducted 6 healthcare outreach sessions with the support of Kahoko, the JICA volunteer nurse.

• 214 older people were reached during these outreach sessions.

The activities included basic health checks and discussions with clients about their health, medication use and other care needs.

4. Key Findings

Across the health-related activities, 214 older people were reached.

A significant number of older people were found to have elevated blood pressure.

• 201 out of 214 people (approximately 84%) had high blood pressure.

All 201 people identified with high blood pressure were referred to Chileka Health Centre for further assessment and management.

Some older people were being checked for the first time, highlighting the importance of regular health screening among older people in the community.

The findings demonstrate the importance of bringing basic health screening closer to older people, particularly those who may face difficulties travelling to health facilities.

5. Medication Adherence and Access Challenges

Medication access and adherence emerged as a major concern.

Some older people reported that prescribed medicines were out of stock at the hospital/health facility and they were advised to purchase the medicines from pharmacies. However, many could not afford to buy them.

Medicines reported to be unavailable included:

• Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ)
• Nifedipine
• Propranolol
• Paracetamol

Other older people reported that they had stopped taking their medicines because of side effects.

Some individuals were also taking medication for the first time or had not previously received regular health checks.

EAN provided paracetamol where appropriate and advised clients who had stopped taking their medication because of side effects to return to the health facility for further assessment and guidance rather than stopping treatment without professional advice.

6. Nutrition Findings

Nutrition assessment also identified concerns among some older people.

78 older people were identified as underweight, with some recorded weights including 29 kg, 30 kg, 32 kg and 37 kg.

These findings indicate the need for continued nutrition assessment and support among older people, particularly those experiencing poor access to adequate food or other factors affecting their nutritional wellbeing.

During the activities, EAN provided lunch to older people.

7. Role of the JICA Volunteer Nurse

EAN appreciates the support and participation of Kahoko, a JICA volunteer nurse, during the activities conducted on 1 and 2 October.

Kahoko participated in home visits and the healthcare outreach, supporting blood pressure and blood sugar checks and engaging directly with older people about their health needs.

Her participation also created an opportunity for EAN to exchange knowledge and demonstrate its community-based and home-based care approach.

The collaboration is particularly relevant to EAN's ongoing work in home-based care and nutrition support for older people.

8. Challenges Identified

• Medicine stock-outs at health facilities.
• Inability to afford medicines when clients are referred to private pharmacies.
• Medication side effects, resulting in some older people stopping treatment.
• Limited access to regular health screening, with some people being checked for the first time.
• High levels of elevated blood pressure among those screened.
• Nutrition concerns, including very low body weight among some older people.
• The need for continued home-based follow-up for older people who have difficulty accessing health facilities.
• Continued regular blood pressure and basic health screening among older people.
• Follow-up of the 201 people referred to Chileka Health Centre.
• Continued education on medication adherence and the importance of seeking professional advice when experiencing side effects.
• Strengthened follow-up for older people who cannot afford medicines when health facilities experience stock-outs.
• Advocacy and engagement with relevant health authorities regarding essential medicine availability.
• Continued nutrition assessment and support for older people identified as underweight.
• Strengthening home-based care and follow-up for older people who face difficulties accessing health facilities.
• Continued collaboration with health professionals and partners to strengthen community-based healthcare for older people.
• EAN plans to conduct follow-up activities on 5 November 2026.

9. Recommendations. Next Steps

The follow-up will focus on:

• Checking the health status of older people previously identified with high blood pressure.
• Following up on referrals to Chileka Health Centre.
• Assessing medication adherence.
• Identifying continued medicine access challenges.
• Following up on older people who experienced medication side effects.
• Monitoring nutrition concerns among underweight older people.
• Continuing advocacy around availability of essential medicines.

11. Conclusion

The activities conducted between 27 July and 2 October 2026 provided important information about the health and care needs of older people in the communities served by EAN.

The identification of 201 older people with high blood pressure among 214 people reached demonstrates the importance of accessible and regular health screening. The activities also highlighted the impact of medicine stock-outs, financial barriers, medication side effects and nutrition challenges on the wellbeing of older people.

EAN will continue to work with older people, health facilities, health professionals and partners to strengthen access to healthcare, medication adherence, nutrition support and home-based care.

EAN appreciates the participation and support of Kahoko, JICA volunteer nurse, during the 1 and 2 October activities and looks forward to continued opportunities to collaboration.

Links:

• Organization website
• LinkedIn page