DCOA president plans to prioritise day care centres across Dominica

The new president of the Dominica Council on Ageing (DCOA) has shared plans to prioritise day care centres for the elderly across communities.

Gloria Shillingford was elected at a meeting during the organisation’s annual general meeting.

She replaced Zetma Toussaint, who chose not to stand again.

In an interview shortly afterwards, Shillingford stated that she intends to take the DCOA to another level with the help of the board.

“As I speak to the elderly, as I go around Dominica and as I dealt with them before, we know that loneliness is a disease and many of our elderly suffer from loneliness,” she said.

“I remember there was a discussion about using some of our resource centres as day care centres.

“This we’ll be taking to government to see how we can partner with or we can work together to be able to ensure that there are day care centres in almost all of the communities.”

Shillingford pledged to do her best for the elderly, who she described as ‘gems of our island.’

“I have worked with them before as Minister for Social Services, Community Development and Gender Affairs and I had a very lovely relationship working with them,” she added.

Elder abuse

“I enjoyed the relationship with them but on a whole I believe the elderly, because they have done so much to take us to where we are today, they deserve our very best of care and that is what I intend to focus on.”

The new president has confirmed her commitment to fighting elder abuse, saying she wants to “bring that [issue] to the fore”.

Plans are underway for observing World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which is held on 15 June.