First Lady opens second ‘Care for the Elderly’ workshop for 2018

Georgetown, Guyana – (July 9, 2018) Thirty participants, drawn from various organisations and communities, today, began the first phase of the “Care for the Elderly” workshop, which is organised by the Office of the First Lady and sponsored by the Ministry of Social Protection. It is being held at the Regency Suites, Hadfield Street and will run for three weeks.

The First Lady, who delivered brief remarks at the opening ceremony, urged participants to work hard to successfully complete the workshop and earn their certificates which is recognised by the Board of Industrial Training. “I wanted you to have a certificate that is recognised as a professional certificate. We had to prove to the Board of Industrial Training that you will be covering specific subjects and how many hours you [will] spend, that is why we are very rigorous about your participation,” she said.

(From left to right) Secretary to the First Lady, Lieutenant Colonel Yvonne Smith, Clinical Social Worker, Ms. Ismay Griffith, The First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger and Gender Consultant at the Ministry of Social Protection, Ms. Hazel Halley-Burnett along with the participants of the Care for the Ederly Workshop.

The participants of the Care for the Elderly workshop awaiting the session today to commence. ​

The primary objective of the workshop is to develop a corps of caregivers who understand their roles, responsibilities and relationships with their clients and the delicate nature of their role. During the course of the three weeks, participants will learn the essentials for providing care for the elderly. The training will also focus on areas such as identifying the symptoms of a stroke, dealing with Alzheimer’s disease, stress management, diabetes care and management, feeding of seniors, responsibilities of the caregiver and skills in communicating with the elderly.

The second phase of the workshop includes a crash course in First Aid, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the use of the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training which will be facilitated by the Guyana Red Cross Society in the final week of the programme. The participants will also benefit from a practical component where they are given the opportunity to interact with and care for elderly at the Palms Geriatric Home.

The theory component of the training is being facilitated by Licenced Clinical Social Worker, Ms. Ismay Griffith and Gender Consultant at the Ministry of Social Protection, Ms. Hazel Halley-Burnett.