Council for the elderly launches abuse hotline |09 August 2019
Messrs Talma (left) and Hoareau officially launching the hotline by making the first call
The National Council for the Elderly (NCE) officially launched its elderly abuse hotline yesterday in a short ceremony at the Family House, Bel Eau.
The hotline will be operational Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm and can be reached on telephone number 2603030.
The launch ceremony was attended by the Minister for Family Affairs, Mitcy Larue; the principal secretary for family affairs, Marie-Josée Bonne; the chief executive of the NCE, Marie-France Pereira; and elderly representatives from various homes around the country.
Growing awareness of elderly abuse has led to a host of new initiatives being put in place to battle this issue, the helpline being one of them.
“It is an honour as the chief executive of the NCE to be able to launch this helpline which will serve as a way to make sure that every elderly citizen is safe and have a better quality of life,” said Mrs Pereira in her opening remarks to the attendees.
She added that the helpline is a result of collective contribution by stakeholders like those that sponsored the hotline free of charge.
“As we strive for a society where our elders enjoy a good quality of life, let’s work together to create an environment free from abuse where children, young people, adults and the elders themselves take a stand to mitigate ill practice on our elders,” said the CEO.
“I want to express my gratitude for all the services being provided for us, a lot of countries do not put focus on the older generation and we are lucky that our small country is still providing for us and we are grateful and on behalf of everyone present I offer my sincerest gratitude,” said Anne Gerry, who spoke on behalf of the elderly.
“The helpline is a good initiative as hopefully it will benefit a lot of elderly persons who are living in abusive homes,” said Mili Sicobo and Vita Rouillon, two elderly persons.
Fernand Hoareau and John Talma were the ones who officially launched the hotline by making the first call.
The ceremony ended with a performance by local artist Antoinette Dodin, bringing the senior citizens to their feet.
