Contributed: Today, Hon. Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Minister of Human Development, Families and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, signed a letter of agreement with Anita Zetina, Secretary General of the Secretariat for Central American Social Integration (SISCA). This agreement establishes cooperation aimed at strengthening and expanding the Ministry’s Elder Home Care Programme. The signing was witnessed by Ambassador Her Excellency Lily-Wen Hsu of the Republic of China (Taiwan), which is financing this programme.
This Elder Home Care Programme enhances the quality of life of persons over 60 years old. The programme allows elders to age with dignity and independence; provides specialized training for caregivers to attend to the mental, emotional and physical needs of older persons; creates employment opportunities for persons interested in becoming certified caregivers.
At the signing ceremony, Mr. Theodore Perez, a beneficiary of the programme, shared how it affected his life. He said, “It has been a blessing to me because I was at a point at which I gave up. I said let me go rest but they came… This programme has been a help for me and hope and I really appreciate it.”
Ms. Kiana Belgrave, a caregiver in the programme, also shared her experience. She said, “I would like to acknowledge the greatness of this programme… It keeps them in a good mental mindset and lets them know that someone is there for them.”
This Elder Home Care Programme aligns with Government’s #PlanBelize Strategy of ensuring that Belize’s social protection framework fosters inclusion and diversity of all vulnerable populations throughout their life.
For further information on how to become a certified elder home caregiver, please contact Ms. Tiffany Garbutt at the Women and Family Support Department at 227-3888 or hdc2.wd@humandev.gov.bz.
