Women complete caregivers training

It’s not graduation season yet, but that did not stop the Belize Red Cross Society from holding commencement exercises this afternoon in Belize City. Eighteen women received certificates after successfully completing the Home Caregivers Training course. Coordinator Audrey Courtenay says the women are now equipped with the tools necessary to play a meaningful role in the community.

Audrey Courtenay, Course Coordinator
?The home healthcare givers, we use to call them home nurses, now they are called home healthcare givers, they have just completed the fifty-hour course which prepares them to work in homes or to assist in health institutions.?

Patrick Jones
?What were these persons taught over the duration of the course??

Audrey Courtenay
?They were taught basic hygiene, they were taught about taking care of persons with hypertension, diabetes, chronic illnesses mainly. Not only to take care, but to promote healthy lifestyles and how to prevent these diseases from occurring, or the complications of the diseases from occurring.?

Patrick Jones
?These women or these nurses, where do they come from??

Audrey Courtenay
?No they are not nurses. These are women from the community who have the ambition and wish to develop their skills and we give them these courses at the Red Cross. It is an income generation opportunity, as well as a much needed service. Today, everybody leave hospital very quickly and we take it for granted that people know how to look after the sick in the home. That is not so. And therefore we have decided at the Red Cross that we will continue with these courses in the hope that we are providing a service for the community.?

Anyone who would like to hire the services of the new healthcare givers can contact the Belize Red Cross Society, which maintains a register of all who have graduated from the training course.