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| Perticipants complete the Elderly Care Training, at the POLO office with Labatt Jalilo dela Torre. |
A total of 17 Hong Kong-based Filipina nurses were given a free seminar on dementia care on Jul 31 at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Admiralty.
The seminar, which tackled the loss of memory and other mental abilities which is often associated with old age, was offered by the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing.
It was in line with Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre’s efforts to find alternative work for Filipino professionals working as domestics in Hong Kong.
The Centre’s Mariam Lee who is the service manager of the seniors’ training program, led the seminar, along with the core group of Philippine nurses in Hong Kong.
Lee praised Filipino workers for being loving and caring, as can be seen from the way they take care of families in Hong Kong.
One of the participants, Kristine May Yu, reacted by saying she was shocked by how badly the local staff at a nursing home were treating the senior clients there. She said she even argued with one employee because she witnessed the rude treatment given to a resident.
Lee replied that what Yu said could be true, largely because there are not enough staff to look after the elderly in such facilities. She encouraged those who witness any maltreatment to bring the matter immediately to the attention of authorities.
According to Lee, the training was designed to help ease the burden of Filipino workers looking after elderly wards.
She said the elderly has special needs, from physical, psychological and emotional, to social, spiritual and even intellectual. They also need to have a safe environment, and to be made to feel that they are safe and secured, loved and cared for.
Despite their age, they still need to feel recognized and appreciated for their ideas, abilities and talents. Thus, it is important that their choices are followed, and that they are given the chance to make their own decision, like what clothes they must wear.
To help seniors better, a caregiver should have the ability to identify problems and solve them. The carer should also make an effort to understand the elderly, and avoid judging or overreacting toward them.
The seminar was given the thumbs up by the participants, especially those who have elderly wards to look after.
One of them was Jojo Cosme who arrived only two months ago to look after an elderly couple. He said he found the training beneficial as it helped him upgrade his skills.
According to Sarahjean P. Ababao, a core nursing group member, another seminar targeting nurses will be held on Aug. 28. Those who would like to join the seminar should check out their Facebook page, Philippine Nurses in Hong Kong and like it to get updates on their acitivities.
Yu said she is among those looking at the reintegration schemes being worked on by Labatt de la Torre so she can go home and look after her son during his growing-up years.
