Who will help these nuns in their last years? : NPR

Key Points:

• The Little Sisters of St. Francis convent in Nkokonjeru, Uganda, faces significant challenges in providing adequate end-of-life care for its aging nuns, who lack essential medical supplies and emotional support.
• Sister Jane Frances Nakafeero and Jean Callahan, from the Irish Hospice Foundation, initiated a pilot hospice program in 2025 to address the medical, psychological, and material needs of retired nuns, with plans to expand palliative care across Uganda and Africa.
• Many elderly nuns suffer from loneliness, depression, and limited mobility, with insufficient caregivers and resources at the convent, highlighting the urgent need for specialized geriatric and psychological care.
• The program aims to train young nuns as caregivers and provide activities that maintain mental stimulation, recognizing that palliative care extends beyond pain relief to emotional and identity support.
• Despite their decades of service, African nuns often receive inadequate institutional support, partly due to gender biases within the Church hierarchy, prompting advocates to call for greater recognition and funding for their end-of-life care.