Government to Launch Training Programme for Unpaid Caregivers

The Government will be launching a training programme aimed at empowering unpaid caregivers who cater to the elderly, to improve the standard of care for senior citizens nationwide.

The programme will be undertaken as a collaboration involving the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information.

It is to be overseen by Executive Director of the Mona Ageing and Wellness Centre, Professor the Most Hon. Denise Eldemire-Shearer.

In an interview with JIS News following Wednesday’s (September 23) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, Professor Eldemire-Shearer explained that the training will be undertaken through a combination of videos and in-person sessions with the caregivers, who are usually middle-aged women.

“The video scripts have already been done. We are going to produce 15 three-minute videos… and we are going to have sessions…[targeting] family caregivers. We will identify them through the health centres, through the National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC), and through the churches,” she stated.

Professor Eldemire-Shearer emphasised that one of the main goals of the programme is to keep older people as functional as possible.

“Many older people still want to be active, still want to be in charge, but they may need a little assistance… . We are concentrating on function, so muscle strength, balance, helping them to dress,” she outlined.

The Executor Director pointed out that elderly persons are sometimes abandoned in hospitals because their families do not know how to care for them.

“If we empower families to be able to look after their older persons, we can help them to cope and hopefully avoid the stress [and] the abandonment,” she said.

Professor Eldemire-Shearer further acknowledged that there are cases of elder abuse happening in the country, often financial and emotional, but noted that it is difficult to quantify because cases often go unreported.

“We haven’t been able to document it because when it’s happening in families, if you go in as a social worker or come in from the National Council, everybody shuts down on you,” the Professor lamented.

She noted that the training programme will address this issue, which she pointed out can be caused by frustration on the part of the caregiver.

“We’re going to talk about the caregiver burden. We’re going to talk about talking to somebody… . We have trained community health aides already. We have trained the supervisors already, so we are building up a cadre in the different sectors… . We have poor-relief offices as well,” Professor Eldemire-Shearer disclosed.

Meanwhile, in acknowledging that Jamaica is an ageing country, she urged citizens to embrace and protect the elderly population.

“We are going to have over 400,000 older people over the next few years. Let us see our older persons as a resource to the family and to the community… and whereas they may not be financial contributors, let us recognise the contribution they can make to family and to community,” Professor Eldemire-Shearer urged.

Her advocacy comes amid the country’s observance of Senior Citizens’ Month 2026 under the theme ‘Honouring a Golden Legacy, Shaping a Bold Future’.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security, in collaboration with the NCSC, has curated a series of activities running from September 1 to October 8, in celebration of senior citizens.