First Lady, Mrs Sandra Granger, this morning said that caregivers should be respected for their vocation and should be seen as competent professionals and not just domestic workers.
The First Lady made these statements at the opening of the second component of her Care for the Elderly Workshop, at Regency Suites, Hadfield Street, Georgetown.
Mrs Granger told the participants that they will receive a certificate accredited by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) and, as a result, persons must treat their profession with respect.
“When people go to care for seniors or care for children, people must not just see them as another domestic who must be called upon to clean and cook and wash and do all sorts of things; they might help if they want, but the primary focus must be the person they are employed to care for,” the First Lady said.
Among the 36 participants, there are women from the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG), Women Across Differences (WAD), St. John’s Bosco Orphanage, the Buxton Day-care Centre, and the Lusignan Learning Centre. The participants will undergo two weeks of theoretical training, with one day in each week designated for practical training when each participant will be placed at an elderly care institution to execute what they have learnt.
The participants have already completed one week of training from June 3 – 7 in general First Aid, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and the use of the Automated External Defibrillator. This aspect of the training was conducted at the Guyana Red Cross Society, Kingston, Georgetown.
