Senior Citizens Week Starts Sunday

The National Council for Senior Citizens will focus on sensitising stakeholders and the public to its work, during this year’s observance of Senior Citizens Week, September 27 to October 3.
The Council will be hosting an Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service on Sunday (September 27) at the Kingston Parish Church to launch the week-long celebrations, and observe National Grandparents’ Day. All seniors are invited.
These announcements were made by the Executive Director of the Council, Mrs. Beverly Hall- Taylor, at a recent JIS Think Tank session.
“A lot of persons are still unaware of what the National Council is about, and we want to sensitise them,” Mrs. Hall- Taylor told the JIS.
She said that, for example, the Jamaica Pensioners Association wanted to help the Council but, at the same time, needed to know what it does in order to assist.
She said that the Council will educate the pensioners, and other stakeholders, about its operations, through an information seminar, which will be a main focus of this year’s celebrations. The seminar, which will be held on September 29 under the theme “Enriching the lives of older persons”, is intended to be far reaching and bring support to seniors.
“So, basically it will take the form of an information seminar looking at our programmes. We will also have personnel such as cardiologists, nutritionists and financial advisors,” Mrs. Hall Taylor outlined.
Mrs. Hall Taylor added that some of the other activities for the observance of senior citizens week will include tree planting ceremonies and a garden party.
“We will be having clubs outreach day, where all the parishes will have their senior citizens clubs going out and doing their normal charity work,” she said.
“There will be the observance of the International Day of Older Persons, where we will be doing a campaign called Age Demands Action. This will be at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The seniors will be taken to Emancipation Park, where we will have the ‘put your groove back’ function. This is where the seniors will do exercise and have fun,” she noted.
There will also be a cultural afternoon and a Senior Citizens Day of Care. Among the final events, will be the parish awards ceremonies.
The National Council for Senior Citizens, formerly the National Council for the Aged, was established in 1976 and falls under the umbrella of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.
It is mandated to advise the Minister on all matters concerning the welfare of senior citizens; to implement the national policy for the senior citizens; and to work with the Government, private sector, voluntary sector and citizens to develop plans of action beneficial to senior citizens. The observance of Senior Citizens Week started in 1971.