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Several Activites Planned to Mark National Senior Citizens’ Week

September 27, 2003

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National Senior Citizens’ Week will be observed from September 28 to October 2, under the theme, ‘Promoting Quality of Life for an Aging Society’.
Beverley Hall-Taylor, Director for the National Council for Senior Citizens told JIS News that the theme was appropriate given the fact Jamaica had 260,000 senior citizens, which represented approximately 10 per cent of the population.
“People are living longer, so we need to promote quality and productive lives,” the Director noted, adding that health and financial problems in addition to loneliness remained challenging issues for seniors in Jamaica.
Meanwhile, to launch the week of activities, there will be an ecumenical service and also, a thanksgiving service to observe National Grandparents Day, an annual event, which is held on the last Sunday in September, at the Kingston Parish Church, downtown Kingston, commencing at 11:00 a.m., on September 28.
On the following day, there will be a tree planting exercise at 10:00 a.m. at the Young Women’s Christian Association on Arnold Road, sponsored partly by the Lions Club of St. Andrew Central. In the afternoon, at 3:00 p.m., there will be a garden party at King’s House, hosted by the Kiwanis Club of North St. Andrew.
A forum on preparing for retirement will take centre stage on September 30 at the Church of God, 93B Constant Spring Road, starting at 10:00 a.m.
Participants include Blue Cross of Jamaica, Action Aging Jamaica and Pan-American Health Organisation. Sixth Form students from surrounding schools will be invited to participate along with young professionals. Senior citizens will be on hand, to share their experiences in how they have been coping with their retirement.
On October 1, the National Sports Day for Seniors, will take place in observance of International Day of Older Persons. Every year, all member countries of the United Nations are asked to host an event on this day. The Ministry of Labour and Social Security in collaboration with G.C. Foster College, National Institute of Sports and Action Aging in Jamaica will host this competitive event. Details will be in the press.
The Senior Citizens’ Club outreach project will highlight activities for October 2, where seniors will use the day to bring joy to others. They will be concentrating on two nursing homes in Kingston, one of which is the Denham Town Golden Age Home.
Events will continue through to the next week. There will be an art, craft and culinary arts exhibition and a cultural presentation on October 7 at the Northern Caribbean University in Mandeville starting at 10:00 a.m. At the same venue at 1:00 p.m., the National Awards Ceremony will take place. Trophies and awards will be presented to individuals and clubs that have participated in the senior citizens annual competitions. Horace Dalley, Minister of Labour and Social Security will be the keynote speaker. Senior Citizens’ Week has been observed since 1971.

Last Updated: September 27, 2003

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