Young and old come together in GAPP project

ALMOST 1,000 young people will begin training to provide care for the nation’s elderly. The Geriatric Adolescent Part-nership Programme (GAPP), which aims to achieve this goal, was launched at the Chagua-ramas Convention Centre, yesterday. The aim of GAPP, which is in its 11th year, is to improve the relationship between the young and the elderly, according to GAPP consultant Nydia Punch.

The youths, between the ages of 17 and 25, will be trained for a three-month period. Training will include lectures, workshops and courses on topics such as life skills, nursing aide skills, health promotion, nutrition and home management. There will also be electives. During this period, they will receive a stipend from Govern-ment and, at the end, graduates will be given a chance to “put their skills to practice.” Delivering the feature ad-dress at the launch was Minister of Community Development and Culture, Joan Yuille-Wil-liams. She expressed her pleasure at the sight of “so many youths” dedicating themselves to care for the elderly. “There is no better way to serve one’s country than to engage our youth population in the building of social relations and assisting citizens who are disadvantaged or in need,” said the Minister.

“The offering of companionship by our youth can surely make a difference in the lives of our elderly, especially as our society has been constructed on the ideas and sweat of the elderly populations, many of whom now reside in solitude.” Yuille-Williams took notice, however, that the majority of the trainees were female as there were only 20 males enrolled in the programme. She stated that GAPP was perceived by the males as a nursing or elderly care training project which bears the “traditional female oriented label.” “The problem may be grounded in the wider societal psyche of stereotyped gender roles.” she said. “This calls for an intensification of our gender sensitivity training to reinforce the changing reality of gender neutral roles.” Also present at the event were MP for Laventille Fitzgerald Hinds, MP for Tobago East Eudine Job-Davis and Minister of State in the Ministry of Community Development and Culture, Eulalie James.