Several caregiving professionals are benefiting from a five-day elderly caregiver course being offered at the Recreation Centre of the Palms Geriatric Institution under the patronage of First Lady, Sandra Granger.
According to a press release, the training programme which was opened by the Granger on November 23, will have social worker, Hazel Halley Burnett and Brooklyn-based Ismay Griffith as facilitators and will cover subject areas such as: what is caregiving?, responsibilities of a caregiver, communication with the elderly, mental health and how to address illnesses that come with aging.
All the participants are women most of whom were drawn from the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE)’s Care for the Elderly programme and will during the five-day session, benefit from practical training in the various wards at the Palms.
In her opening address, Granger told the participants, “My first charge to you is to like what you are doing, because if you don’t enjoy interacting with seniors, it’s going to be a job and not something that you are going to enjoy.”
Further, Granger commended the participants all of whom she said, are caregivers in their own right but it is remarkable that they have decided to seek training.
In addition to which, she reminded them, their journey as caregivers should be a learning experience as elderly persons more often than not have a wealth of knowledge.
