INTRODUCTION
As a trainee Geriatric Caregiver, Sharine Felix was on the frontline as a volunteer at the Hilarion Home for senior citizens during Grenada’s first wave of the Delta COVID variant. She is 25 years old from Harford Village, St Andrew where she lives independently within an extended family. ‘My motivation is to help my family to have an improved quality of life’, she excitedly proclaimed.
UKaid SUPPORT
SkYE is partnering with the New Life Organisation (NEWLO) to train 360 disadvantaged young people in multiple technical skilled areas over three years at CVQ Level 1 and 2. Sharine has completed a CVQ Level 2 in Geriatric Care and has already began putting her training into practice by volunteering on the front line during the COVID crisis where the demand for healthcare workers far exceeded the supply.
LIFE NOW vs THEN
Sharine at Hilarion Home for Senior Citizens
Sharine lamented, “I grew up rough and life has been hard for us, I helped out with chores at home including taking care of my grandmother. I completed skills training in Hospitality Arts (Housekeeping and Bar Services) at NEWLO, but I couldn’t get a job since hospitality opportunities were very meagre in St. Andrew”. She longed for a skill that will help her to become a better person but had an inclination for Early Childhood Education. During that time, she noticed the SkYE Scholarship at NEWLO for Geriatric Caregivers and Early Childhood Education. Since Early Childhood registration was closed, she applied for the Geriatric Caregivers Program and was accepted. She has never regretted the decision.
Since NEWLO was her most recent academic institution, returning and acclimatizing was not difficult. When asked about her training experience, Sharie recalled, “Training was intense and challenging at the start, we covered a lot of material both in theory and practicals but it was worth it. I was motivated by the opportunity and acquired competency quickly, so the challenges did not hinder myprogress”. She praised the instructors and management at NEWLO for the sacrifices and support given to trainees seeking alternative learning pathways.
With the endorsement of NEWLO, Sharine volunteered at the Hilarion Home which is located in Mt. Craven, St. Patrick. She was welcomed at the Home and she enjoyed taking care of the residents. Sharine beamed, “I am elated to have been on the fro nt line to offer support and practice skills taught during training”.
COMMUNITY AND WIDER CONTEXT
“I hope to become a Certified Geriatric Nurse and have my own business – providing elderly care services. I will definitely recommend this course to anyone with a special interest in the area. It is by no means easy and one needs to have a passion for it”, Sharine opined. Grenada has an aging population so geriatric care is much needed throughout the tri-island state. In 2020, Grenada’s population was estimated at 113,135 persons of which 11.4% were persons 65 years and over. As residential homes for seniors contend with human and space capacity issues, geriatric care services will increase as more elderly persons opt for home-based care.
FACTS
Skills for Youth Employment (SkYE) is a four-year, UKaid funded programme to provide certified skills training for 6,000 disadvantaged young people, including those challenged by disability, in four Eastern Caribbean countries: Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent & the Grenadines. The Programme will develop a more productive and inclusive workforce in sectors with good economic growth potential.
SkYE is supporting national training authorities and training providers to make systemic improvements to the development, delivery and quality assurance of technical, vocational education and training (TVET) in the four focus islands through targeted capacity building.
