Minister urges seniors to make best use of healthcare

(CNS): At the Seafarers Association annual Wellness Fair, Community Affairs Minister Mike Adam urged seniors to use the CAY Health Programme, which is geared at improving healthcare access. The programme, which is a collaborative effort between the ministry, the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and the Health Services Authority (HSA), affords seniors access to a personal physician at a local health centre and enables them to collect medication without leaving the district, HSA’s Dr Orrett Thane told those present, noting that it also provides health education and healthy lifestyle advice.

Minister Adam said, “Your health and well being are of paramount importance to us. We aim to provide you with the necessary support to enable you to continue realising your potential during this rich period of your lives. You represent a most important population segment and I thank you for your effort in building solid communities and for continuing to make a positive difference in the country.”

Part of Older Persons Month, the fair was celebrated on 20 October under the theme Older persons in Economically Challenging Times.

Seizing the opportunity to remind the seniors to participate in Census 2010, DCFS Director Deanna Look Loy told them that the exercise would enable government to plan more effectively. That, she said, would in turn lead to improvements in the healthcare and other services they receive.

The Wellness Fair also saw presentations from several others who offered the seniors advice on protecting their assets, as well as on their physical, emotional and spiritual health.

Cayman National Bank Manager Ormond Williams warned them to be wary of scams aimed at stealing their savings and to be prudent in their spending. He noted the need for children to care for elderly parents to reduce the burden on government but he also urged older persons to share and trade what they do have with other seniors as a way of coping with these difficult economic times. “If you have a breadfruit tree and can eat only one each week, don’t allow the other fruit to fall off the tree and rot; give them away instead,” Williams said.

Lands and Survey Deputy Director Ann Kirchman was on hand to advise the seniors how to protect their houses and land. Following a light lunch, the Wellness Fair concluded with HSA personnel giving flu shots to the seniors.