Staying safe and well in retirement

Members of the CCRP Central Jamaica Executive: (l-r) Dr Owen James (also a member of the CCRP Board), Mrs Sadie Johnson, Mrs Sonja Allen, Jean Lowrie-chin, Founder & Executive Chair, CCRP, Mrs Patricia ‘Pesh’ Blackwood (volunteer coordinator), Mr Leighton Ritch. 

The Central Jamaica Chapter of the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP) is now in full swing with a great turnout for our first members meeting recently, chaired by CCRP Board Director Dr Owen James and held at the St. Mark’s Anglican Church Hall in Mandeville. The chapter is fully powered by volunteers: executive members Dr James, Coordinator Mrs Patricia ‘Pesh’ Blackwood, Mrs Sonja Allen, Mrs Sadie Johnson, and Mr Leighton Ritch. Mrs Jean Seaga Anderson has kindly given CCRP a part time desk at Global Travel Service in the Mandeville Plaza.

Members from St. Elizabeth, Manchester and Clarendon turned out to meet each other and to hear details of the Sagicor major medical insurance offered to members, from their helpful representatives Clive Ebanks and Errol Morris. It is a welcome relief for those who have had to exit other health plans after retirement. The organisation has also been promoting good money management and at our Kingston meeting last Monday, Karen Mullings, senior executive at VM Wealth urged members to invest wisely so they can maximise their savings.

We also shared the encouraging news that old-age pension benefits payable through the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) has been increased from $2,800 to $3,400 per week, while effective August 1, funeral benefits will increase to $90,000. We appreciate the keen interest that Minister of Labour and Social Security Shanine Robinson has been taking in the welfare of Jamaica’s elderly.

Now we have to look to their personal safety and security. CCRP issued a statement last week, condemning the murders of several senior citizens including two couples who had returned from abroad to retire in Jamaica.  The organisation asked for urgent measures to keep seniors safe.  They recommend that seniors create more neighbourhood watch groups, and that families of the elderly equip them with safety devices being offered by various security companies.

Safety and Security: A Growing Concern for Senior Citizens

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Lieutenant Commander George Overton of the Guardsman Group talks safety and security with members of the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons at the group’s Wellness and Lifestyle Evening held on Tuesday, July 24 at Phoenix Central, 2 Phoenix Avenue, Kingston 10

Kingston, Jamaica. (25 July 2018) – With the high level of crime and violence in the island, personal safety has been a growing concern for senior citizens. The Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP) invited the Guardsman Group to make a presentation on ‘Security for Seniors’ at its Wellness and Lifestyle Evening held on Tuesday, July 24 at Phoenix Central, 2 Phoenix Avenue in St. Andrew. Lieutenant Commander George Overton of Guardsman gave an enlightening talk on the vulnerabilities of senior citizens, and others, and the safety measures to be taken in addressing these vulnerabilities. 

Lieutenant Commander Overton welcomed the opportunity to address the group of senior citizens: “Any one incident that I can help people avoid is a plus for Jamaica and that is where I put my heart and my soul - in ensuring that people who live in this country can live safely and not have to worry about various threats that are around them.” He said that contrary to the belief held by many, “We all have vulnerabilities that must be acknowledged if we are to plan and decide how we are going to mitigate against those vulnerabilities.”

The three vulnerable areas highlighted by Lieutenant Commander Overton are as follows:

1. At home

Vulnerabilities increase with age. Engaging in set patterns of activity makes it easier for persons to become targets. For example, do you like to go jogging early in the mornings? What time do you go to the supermarket? What time do you go to bed?  If the answers to these questions are the same each day, then it becomes quite easy for predators to study your routine as to when best they can attack you. He recommended the use of security devices.

2. In transit 

When moving from place to place, persons, especially the elderly, are vulnerable to criminals and accidents. Having the right security system in place makes it easier for security companies to know your whereabouts and send help in an emergency.

3. Who do you open your doors to?

A common issue discussed at the meeting was the aspect of letting persons inside your home without knowing enough about them. As such, much effort should be made to gather adequate background information on those who have been contracted to work in your home. Sufficient information can be gathered by creating contact forms with simple need-to-know questions, followed by proof of identification. 

Founder and Executive Chairman of CCRP, Jean Lowrie-Chin, urged attendees to share the security information with others as she, too, is concerned about the safety of senior citizens. “There are simple things we do not think about that could really make the difference for your safety.” 

The Caribbean Community of Retired Persons continues to tackle the growing issues that affect retired persons or those preparing for retirement. The CCRP Wellness and Lifestyle Evening is held monthly with presentations on various subjects of interest after which members socialize and play board games.