Director of Yes We Care Programme speaks about challenges faced by beneficiaries

Matilda Royer

Being left unattended, lack of water in certain areas and the dilapidated condition of homes are challenges faced by some of the elderly enrolled in the Yes We Care Programme.

Director of the Yes We Care Programme, Mathilda Royer, made that disclosure as a guest recently, on Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit’s Annou Pale talk show.

“Children and relatives continue to abandon their responsibility towards the elderly,” Royer remarked. “Some clients are often left unattended throughout the weekend although their children live in close proximity or sometimes in the same home.”

She said another challenge is the lack of water.

“Some of the areas have no water. We have areas we are presently paying the husband of a caregiver to carry water from the river,” Royer revealed.

Royer explained that the challenge with dilapidated conditions of homes is that, “Some of the homes are so badly off that caregivers and supervisors buy linoleum to put on the floor.”

Meantime, she said the caregivers are doing a good job in caring for the elderly.

“The caregivers, I believe, are doing a good job,” she said. “Some of them genuinely love their clients and regard them as their own parents.”

Caregivers generally work from Monday to Friday. However, according to Royer, there are some who work for the whole week, “because some of the clients are bedridden.”

She said caregivers are also encouraged to spend time with their clients after they are through doing their daily chores.

The Yes We Care Programme, which was initiated by Prime Minister Skerrit in 2009, provides personal care and attention to elderly people, particularly those who are alone, or whose family is unable to provide for them because of poverty, sickness or unemployment.

At the inception of the programme, 249 clients were signed on. It currently serves about 160 clients.

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8 Comments

  1. Original
    May 13, 2021

    With the construction of apartments all over Dominica, why are these persons not given priority to get an apartment and or improve their living conditions. Instead apartments are being given to nonresidents and persons who already occupy proper dwelling. I hope persons could observe what is going on, time for action, this labour administration has failed us and we should come out and demand their resignation, everyone of them.

  2. Take it
    May 12, 2021

    Dominicans are just being “beaten” everyday by this failed Government. They have let everything fail. Wake up people please wake up. Demand the best for you and your families.

  3. lmckoy
    May 12, 2021

    “The caregivers, I believe, are doing a good job,” How does Ms Royer determine ‘good job’? What about issues such as stealing from the elderly, physical abuse or having the elderly signing over property to caregivers? If there is no process in place to identify and address such abuses, one cannot honestly say that anyone is doing a ‘good job’. It is simply not good enough to ‘believe’ that harm is not being done to a vulnerable group, without providing credible evidence to support such belief.

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      May 14, 2021

      Well, let me say here; I am against Mr. Corruption Roosevelt Skerrit, because there are flowers in the program; nevertheless, Matilda may have spoken the truth; regarding the people who gives care to the elderly, the shutting!

      I know for a fact, that these caregivers put their heart into their service, Matilda is correct, the caregivers go beyond their duty; I have that personal knowledge.

      Even when some of the unfortunate who needs the help literally abused the caregiver, some of them even chase the the person helping them away, the caregiver stay around.

      By nature some of our people put themselves out to help, even for no pay: I know of certain people who put themselves out to help the shutting who chases them away.

        My sister house is not dilapidated, I built it last year she fell in it yesterday, good thing a caregiver was in the house, they took her to the Hospital, in addition to the caregiver I have someone looking out for her also.

      • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
        May 14, 2021

        Now Dr. Punjab, you little corrupted crook who will soon be living jail!

        Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!

        Just because I recognized the caregivers is not an indication I am on your side.
        You are a crook, a very crooked fellow; a liar, and a damn  th… eh: ( I doh can say the full word; nevertheless when something as the caregivers, I think is a good thing, I have to recognize it.

        If a caregiver and the person who is cooking and looking after my sister besides the caregiver, were not in the house when she fell, I don’t know what may have happen to her.

        And by the way you that Dominica Mountain Chicken Crapaud Crapo Mentality Sir Knight, Triple  doctor Me Almost Nearly Cousin Ali Baba you that damn th… Roosevelt Skerrit; don’t construe because I appreciate the program is saying thanks to you.

        My thanks goes out to the people who serve as caregivers; it’s not an easy task!

        They take a lot of crap from some of those old people!

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      May 15, 2021

      All the caregivers are not thieves okay!

      The bitter and the sweet goes together; people are different, there are dishonest as well as honest people.

      When they find the few who are thieves, they should weed then out; even if it means getting the law (police) to deal with them.

      Nevertheless, one have to be careful not to accuse people of robbery, and elderly  abuse; those are very serious allegations. I doubt that most of those people would have much to steal.

      Let’s take my sister as an example, I know she do have plenty of cloth, and shoe; (but she doh have any money eh)!

      Hahahahahahahahahahahahahah!

      Any money I send to her goes into the hands of someone I have looking out for her to buy her food, sanitary products, and paying water and electricity bills.

      They told me she have a barrier  around her bed, paranoid  that even the wind will steal the things eh!
      If one aint gat nutton fu thief wa dem ar go thief nuh! 

  4. Care for Dominica
    May 12, 2021

    Welcome to Skerrit’s Dominica anno 2021. What has this man made out a once prosperous country? Worse even, the citizens are sitting on their hands, watching and waiting for the next envelope.

  5. Ibo France
    May 12, 2021

    I will agree that too many of our elderly persons are abandoned by their own children and close relatives. This is a very troubling trend. Love and empathy for one another almost seems to be a thing of the past.

    The government can do even more for these people by using the billions obtained from the sale of passport. How appropriate this would be especially for these people who have labored long and hard to build this country. It will be like a reward to them.

    Water is essential. Many of these homes are without portable water. I know in another neighboring country the government ensures that every home of each elderly person, once they live alone, has running water for free. The water meter is checked every month to ensure that no one is taking advantage of it. The bill cannot exceed a stipulated amount.

    The Dominican government should implement something similar. But only a caring government that is genuinely concerned about its most vulnerable citizens does this.

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