HUMANSDORP – The Nation Builders Prophetic Apostolic Movement (NBPAM), a service centre for senior citizens in Humansdorp, is spearheading an awareness campaign after discovering that seniors lack basic knowledge about their funeral policies, with many unaware that their policies may not even exist.
The organisation held an educational programme in November following alarming discoveries about policy-related challenges facing senior citizens.
Ashwell Goliath, Project Manager and Executive Director of NBPAM, said that he was prompted to start the awareness campaign after discovering that many seniors in Humansdorp do not have documents showing which company provides their funeral policy.
The organisation, which serves 50 beneficiaries including 35 active members who attend weekly programmes and five bedridden seniors, identified the crisis after witnessing firsthand the struggles families face during claims processes.
“Last year I witnessed one of our members experience challenges claiming from a funeral policy. The senior did not have any documents and therefore struggled to arrange the funeral. We then arranged the funeral at my house to ensure that the deceased had a dignified funeral,” said Goliath.
The launch of the educational programme, hosted in November, was attended by at least 30 seniors from the community and focused on fundamental questions about policy ownership and documentation.
“We asked the members if they knew where to find a copy of their contract and whether they have a contract at all. For those who have contracts, we asked whether they knew the name of the policy provider and whether they knew how much the policy covered,” said Goliath.
The initiative was conducted in partnership with Carisa Ellis, a funeral planning consultant who specialises in pre-planning and flexible funeral cover.
“Policies are a good thing, but there is not enough information available that can help protect the rights of our elderly,” said Goliath.
Goliath’s personal experience with policy claims when his wife, Nicolette, passed away earlier this year, drives his commitment to this cause.
“We were struggling to find out how and where to claim, because she took out the policy many years ago. We had no contract documents, just the application form,” said Goliath.
He said that the financial and emotional implications for families are severe when claims are delayed or denied.
“Families are under a lot of stress. It creates conflicts and division among family members,” said Goliath.
He said that common issues facing elderly claimants include not knowing whether they have funeral policies, whether the policies exist, understanding payout amounts, and lacking essential documentation.
With continued assistance from Ellis, NBPAM is planning a broader outreach campaign to address these systemic issues.
“We are planning to run an awareness programme to make elderly people aware of their rights and to make sure elderly people have the necessary documents at hand when something happens in the future,” Goliath said.
