MINISTER of Social Protection, Amna Ally, on Thursday officially launched the Minimum Standards for the Elderly Residential Facilities in Guyana, after which she presented the six-member Visiting Committee that would work in tandem to ensure that elderly residential facilities are in compliance with those standards.
Through this means, the Visiting Committee, in collaboration with the respective facilities, is now tasked with ensuring the elderly in such homes are provided the best possible care.
The six-member committee introduced by Director of Social Services, Mr Whentworth Tanner and headed by Co-ordinator, Abike Benjamin-Samuels comprises: Dr Laura Pereira Amores; Ricardo Banwarie; Kester Garnett; Oonah Wendel Roberts; and Djamilsa Lambert.
During the launch held at the Water and Cornhill Streets branch of the Ministry of Social Protection, an elated Minister Ally declared: “I am heartened and proud and I want to say that we are moving. We are beginning to understand that things like these – caring for our elderly is not just talk. So here we are, the Social Services Department of the Ministry of Social Protection …We’re not just ‘talking the talk,’ but ‘Walking the Walk.’
Minister Ally congratulated the Social Services Department under the leadership of Tanner, for taking this initiative to have the Minimum Standards for the Elderly Residential Facilities in Guyana launched, acknowledging the importance of having improved services for the elderly.

Moreover, the minister said she is particularly proud that it was the first-ever committee of this nature. She noted too, that a similiar committee was launched for Child Protection, and stressed that these committees are not being launched on books or on paper. Rather, what is of the essence, is what comes after their launch … What work is expected from them; How do we intend to better our system with their launch. The minister said that based on reports from the Child Protection Agency, that committee has been doing a wonderful job, visiting care centres for the children and already improvements are being seen.
“I am heartened to say that I have very responsive and responsible officers, because when these visits are undertaken and recommendations made, wherever practicable, they implement them and that is something I have to congratulate my officers for — for taking the lead in ensuring that any recommendations are implemented,” the minister said.
Ally called for collaboration between the management and the administration of the entities with the Visiting Committee and the public, adding that there will be important suggestions in terms of making the institution better that can come from outsiders. She addressed the question of diet for the elderly; eating peculiarities or diet restrictions and said the Visiting Committee will be expected to look at such matters. Ally was delighted that there is a medical doctor on the committee, who will be able to address such concerns.
The minister cautioned the committee members that even where it is found that the people operating the homes do not offer the best service, the approach is not to dictate. “You are not going to dictate, you are going to help them to recognise where we can have improvements. What we can do to help the situation.” And for those caregivers who do not like to be told what to do, even when they are wrong, Minister Ally made it clear, “I am telling you…Our standards do not allow for that.” She said it was not by accident that the ministry has launched the committee, because with this committee, government wants to provide the best for our elderly.
Meanwhile, Tanner spoke about the introduction of a platform for the sharing of experiences and maximization of resources and developing objective criteria for the future garnering of resources at the residential facilities. He said that the ministry will revise and introduce a licensing mechanism for these facilities, which will be undertaken by a multi-disciplinary inspectoral process.
Stanley Egerton Cooke, a Member of the National Commission for the Elderly said that the task of devising minimum standards for the committee has been completed. He proudly recalled that at a discussion with the Director of Social Services, he had indicated that members of this committee will be included in the visitations of homes; engage in auditing of all of the governmental and other homes and finding out what their needs are.
Cooke said the committee has already been visiting homes and would pass its findings and opinions to the Ministry of Social Protection. “And as we do that, those opinions will be inserted in the decision-making of the ministry and seeped into the Coordinator of National Policies.”