THE DEPARTMENT of Community Health and Psychiatry at the University of the West Indies, Mona, which trains caregivers to deal with the elderly, is calling for more males to be volunteers in the programme.

According to Dr Chloe Morris, men need to stop marginalising themselves and start serving their country.

"Men can be as competent as any female if they are trained; however, they need to put themselves up to be counted. We need them badly - more than ever.

sensitise caregivers

"We have graduated 290 persons since the programme began and only 10 males have come on-board and that needs to change. Our last batch of intakes with participants from across the Caribbean had no males," Morris said.

Dr Morris said that the Community Care of the Elderly Programme, which was started 17 years ago, aimed to make caregivers more competent.

"We train persons because caregivers must be sensitised with the knowledge, attitude and expertise to deal with older persons, based on the United Nations Principles for Older Persons,'' Dr Morris said.

She told The Sunday Gleaner that the programme was the brainchild of Professor Eldermire Shearer, and that participants came from all over the Caribbean, including Anguilla, The Bahamas and Dominica.

Volunteers, Dr Morris said came from homes for the elderly, the Ministry of Health and other private sources.

Participants undergo five months of training on best practices in caring for the elderly.

According to Dr Morris, who earned her doctorate in public health, the emphasis is being placed on males because "by helping them, we are also assisting females".

Data from the Planning Institution of Jamaica show that 11 per cent of the country's population are above the age of 60 years old.