New centre for Sr. Cecilia Home
The Sister Cecilia Home for the elderly has been providing high quality residential care for Belize’s senior citizens. Today its occupants had one more reason to celebrate as they witnessed the opening of a new activity centre.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Although the Sister Cecilia Home has improved tremendously over the past six years, the facility for the elderly did not have a central place to hold activities for its fifty residents. The dining room had become too small for families to meet with their loved ones and recreational activities had to be limited. However, the new centre promises to change all of that.
Rose Armstrong, Supervisor, Sister Cecilia Home
“So with the new activity centre, they will be able to sit with their loved ones and stay for whatever period of time they want and will be able to do a little more crafts and games because the high schools send in students and they often want to play games and so on with them, but as I told you, the dining area was all we had to use, so it was very much needed.”
But no one could be more happy than our senior citizens themselves.
The residents say they are frequently visited by family members and are glad that they will now be able to meet their loved ones in comfort.
Teresa Bevans, Resident
“They don’t leave me. They are working and they come on Sundays to see me and bring what I want, what I need.”
Jacqueline Woods
“So now you guys finally have a activity centre where you’ll be able to meet with your family.”
Teresa Bevans
“Oh yes! Yes, I was prying for that to finish, cause sometimes even in the night they can come sit down and chat with me if they allow them to come in the night. I don’t know if they can come in the day, I don’t think so. But at least I know they can come in the night.”
Jacqueline Woods
“So you have a nice place to meet with your family.”
Teresa Bevans
“Yes.”
Besides meeting family members in the new centre the residents will have a busy time in September. Helpage has planned a number of activities that include exercise programmes, games and discussions on health and religion.
