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| Roland and Jane Francis |
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS (JUNE 8TH 2004) St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas says his St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party Government will continue to treat the Federation’s elderly “with respect, honor, pride and dignity.”
Speaking at the official opening of the new Saddlers Home for the Elderly, Prime Minister Douglas, who is also the Parliamentary Representative for the area said senior citizens are “important sources of information, sources of culture, heritage and enormous experiences that can be used in the development of St. Kitts and Nevis.”
The home, located in Saddlers, has been the private residence of former Saddlers residents Mr. and Mrs. Roland Francis, who donated the building to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis for use as a Home for the Elderly. The couple has been living in Birmingham, England for decades.
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| Mr. & Mrs. Roland Francis, Prime Minister Douglas and Minister Herbert. |
Dr. Douglas said the policies to assist the elderly have been fashioned through the Ministry of Social Development, established in his second term as Prime Minister, to look after the interests of the senior citizens in St. Kitts and Nevis.
No doubt referring to recent political statements from the opposition that if elected several services would be curtailed and workers sent home, Prime Minister Douglas said his Labour Party Administration “makes no apologies for increasing from time to time, the Social Security Benefits that are being given to our elderly.”
“We make no apologies to anyone in this country for bringing persons who have not contributed to the Social Security Pension Scheme into the Non Contributory Pension Scheme and assisting them in their final years on this earth so that they can live those years in dignity and pride,” said Prime Minister Douglas to the loud applause of the gathering.
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| Residents of Saddlers attended the Opening Ceremony |
“We make no apologies for not cutting back on the social programmes that are helping the elderly persons of St. Kitts and Nevis and we have no intention in cutting back those programmes,” Prime Minister Douglas reiterated.
He said the females, who are 55 years of age and the males who are over 60 years, can continue to go to the Health Centers around St. Kitts and attend the medical clinics free of cost and can get their prescription filled at the government pharmacies and receive those medicines free of cost as well.
“We make no apologies for ensuring that those who have no one to look after them are visited in their homes on a regular basis. That their hair will be comb, their hygienic conditions looked after. That they are sung to and spoken to and kept up to date on what is happening around them so that they are made to be a part of the living society and not feel discarded to the dark back rooms of their homes. We will not subscribe to that,” reiterated Prime Minister Douglas.
He pointed to the philosophy that the elderly are not placed in an institution far away from their environment, but kept in their own communities, “where they can see people everyday, where the neighbours that they grew up with would be able to visit them, where the children from the primary schools would be able to visit and sing for them and pull their nose, their hair and make them happy and wanted. This is what happens in Saddlers at this new Home for the Elderly.”
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| St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas; Minister of Social Development, Community and Gender Affairs, the Hon. Rupert Herbert; Mr. and Mrs. Roland Francis assist Mr. John Richardson in cutting the ribbon at the ceremony. Photos by Erasmus Williams |
Prime Minister Douglas said his Government makes no apology for its policy to alleviate poverty in St. Kitts and Nevis and will continue to ensure that those who are poor are given the assistance and the opportunities to improve their living and social conditions.
Dr. Douglas thanked Mr. and Mrs. Roland Francis for their generosity in donating their private home to the ordinary people of Saddlers and the confidence they have placed in the Ministry of Social Development, in the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, in the people of St. Kitts and Nevis and in the community of Saddlers.
He also praised the Minister of Social Development, Community and Gender Affairs, the Hon. Rupert Hebert, who gave the Feature Address; Permanent Secretary, Ms. Linda Adams, who delivered the Welcome Remarks; Home Care Supervisor, Mrs. Anne Wigley, who gave an Overview of the Home and the Home Care workers for their dedication to the elderly. The Mistress of Ceremony was Ms. Jovil Martin.
The official cutting of the ribbon was done by the oldest male resident of Constituency Six, 96-year-old Anguilla-born Mr. John Richardson. He was assisted by Mr. and Mrs. Roland Francis, Prime Minister Douglas and Minister Herbert.
The Welcome Remarks was given by Mrs. Linda Adams; Poems were said by the Principal of the Saddlers Primary School, a song by students of that school, a Poem by Home Care Officer, Floreen Mulrain and a song by the Home Care Officers.
The Home has five residents and four workers including Senior Home Care Officer, Francis Taylor.
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