CitCo Donates to the Elderly at Sister Cecilia
On a positive note, life at the Sister Cecilia Home for the Elderly will be more comfortable for the vulnerable population who has to adhere to the strict guidelines imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Belize City Council today made a donation to the facility through HelpAge Belize. The items range from a TV to pillows and fans. There are more than thirty residents who are confined to the home. Mayor Bernard Wagner says they cannot be forgotten as the novel coronavirus wrecks havoc everywhere. Here is News Five’s Duane Moody.
Duane Moody, Reporting
An eighteen-thousand-dollar donation from Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner was handed over to HelpAge Belize and the Sister Cecilia Home for the Elderly today. The items, which include fans, a seventy-inch flat screen TV as well as pillows, towels and rags, is to help with the quality of life of a most vulnerable population. The council, since the COVID-19 crisis, has been reaching out to different sectors of the city and they are now assisting senior people who are considered most at risk to the virus.
Bernard Wagner
Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor
“We know that the elderly in our society are the most vulnerable and we felt that the office of the mayor and my councillors and some business partners that we wanted to contribute to ensure that health wise that these people are taken care of. We wanted to enhance their day to day living as well; that’s why you see the television. We felt that being indoors; they needed that little television to keep them occupied as well. We included some hygiene products: soap, hand wash, shampoo, towels, wash rags, bed sheets and that sort of thing for each of the elderly that lives at this facility.”
There are currently thirty-five resident seniors living at the Sister Cecilia Home for the Elderly. They are between the ages of sixty-nine and one hundred and six. According to Ivorine Bulwer, this will help to keep the residents at the home comfortable and engaged with stimulating programmes.
Ivorine Bulwer
Ivorine Bulwer, Executive Director, HelpAge Belize
“These donations will be utilized for the day activities centre and more importantly for the Sister Cecilia Home. You may have observed there is quite a number of fans and certainly, the fans are needed; the weather is extremely hot and so keeping our older clients cool and well hydrated, it certainly will serve a purpose. I notice there is a large screen TV; it will be helpful cause there are quite a number of programmes that can be stimulating and I am certainly thankful that our clients at this time when there is a limitation of interaction with visitors, they can be occupied.”
During the COVID-19 situation in Belize, a number of activities have been suspended, but HelpAge Belize has still been able to reach out and provide service to the senior citizens it works with across the city.
Ivorine Bulwer
“The clients would come here during the day and would be here from Monday to Friday, but those activities have ceased because of their safety. We did not want to leave our clients abandoned so we have been doing meals on wheels. We serve one hundred and twenty-four meals for the week and it provides us with an opportunity to be in contact with them, to see how they are doing.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
