…urges young women to take advantage
First Lady Sandra Granger has opened the second certified ‘Care for the Elderly’ Workshop — at the Social Protection Ministry’s boardroom on Lamaha Street in Georgetown.
On Monday, charging the 34 participants to take full advantage of the opportunities presented, the First Lady noted that while caring for the elderly is a skill that can boost their income and afford them economic independence, they must also see the opportunity as a means of bolstering the care and treatment provided to one of the vulnerable groups in society. 
Noting that senior citizens make up a significant number of Guyana’s population, the First Lady told participants it is important that their care is of a high standard.
The workshop, being funded by the Ministry of Social Protection in collaboration with the Office of the First Lady, will run for five days and will focus on areas such as what is caregiving; identifying the types of seniors’ needs; cleansing and wound cleaning; moving and positioning; dealing with health issues such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and other types of mental health; stress management; abuse of seniors; identifying and dealing with the types of strokes; diabetes care and management; feeding of seniors, and dental care and hygiene.
The workshop is also intended to help the caregivers to understand their roles, responsibilities and relationships with the client, and the confidential nature of that role.
Gender Consultant Hazel Halley-Burnett of the Social Protection Ministry said the initiative by the First Lady must be commended, as there is a need for this type of training in Guyana.
“The initiative behind this training was the sole idea of the First Lady, and we need to commend her for this initiative and her ability to put things together. This is the second of a series of trainings that have been planned. We have been able to learn from the first, and we have to pack a lot into one week. The elderly population in Guyana is a significant one, and if we try to provide the kind of care that they need, then we would have given them something to look forward to. We want to create avenues for them to come together and socialise and still give of themselves,” she said.
Workshop participants have been drawn from various organisations and communities, including the Women Across Differences (WAD) and the Buxton/Friendship and Mahaica and Lusignan communities. At the end of the workshop, participants will receive a certificate of completion and will have the opportunity to move on to other certified courses, such as First Aid Training at the Guyana Red Cross Society. They will also be placed at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for a one-day practical exercise.
Caption: From left: Venus Smart, Public Health Nurse; Ismay Griffith, Licensed Clinical Social Worker; Facilitator, First Lady Sandra Granger; Gender Consultant at the Social Protection Ministry, Hazel Halley-Burnett; Yvonne Smith of the Office of the First Lady; and Diego Alphonso, Head of the Men’s Affairs Bureau, pose with participants of the workshop
