Annual Older Persons Weekend Retreat 2010
On December 14, 1990 the United Nations designated October as the International Month of Older Persons.
It was selected in order to recognize the contributions of older persons and senior citizens around the world and to examine issues that affect their everyday lives. October 1st is the designated “International Day of Older Persons” which is observed globally, however is not a public holiday. In order to recognize this international event, the Cayman Islands Department of Children & Family Services Community Development Group planned and hosted a three-day weekend retreat for older persons at the Ramada Hotel (formerly the Grand Caymanian) on October 7th to 10th. Older persons within the Districts of Grand Cayman were selected to attend this event themed “Older Persons in Economically Challenging Times”.
The three-day weekend event started on Thursday evening with prayer and worship, fellowship, dinner and a reflection of 2009’s retreat. To top off the evening, there was even a pajama contest. Friday’s activities included swimming, a swimsuit contest, table games, and a treasure hunt. Saturday consisted of more prayer and worship followed by a movie at Camana Bay and an official reception at the Ramada Resort. The programme was lead by Zemrie Thompson, facilitator for the Department of Children and Family Services. Greetings and remarks came from the Honorable Mike Adam, Minister for Community Affairs, Gender and Housing. This was followed by a greeting from Mrs. Deanna Look Loy, Director of the Department of Children and Family Services.
The guest speaker for the evening was Mrs. Maureen Hazel, Regional Dean (Cayman) for the International University of the Caribbean. A teacher by profession, she delivered an excellentvideo presentation on the aging economy, comparing world statistics against those of the United States and the Cayman Islands. She spoke of the challenges facing the aging population but also of the added value seniors contribute to our communities. She also spoke about adversity and how the older persons can look at it from different perspectives. It was a very enlightening presentation, enlisted interaction of the crowd and ended with a short poem:
I’m Not Old–I’m Only Mature.DJ Blemo provided the music and the Ramada Hotel provided a delicious spread of Caribbean food that would cater to a healthy lifestyle. Sunday’s activities included worship at the John Gray Memorial Church in West Bay and then finished with a luncheon at Champion House II.
Rotary Sunrise has been a sponsor of the Annual Older Persons Retreat for the past five years and the club contributes CI $1,000 towards accommodations, food, etc. for the three day event. In my view I was happy to be invited to attend this community event which gave me a much better appreciation for the elderly in Grand Cayman. I must admit even thought many of these men and women are getting up in age they all seemed to hang on to their youthfulness in their own special way. Attending this event brought back the meaning of Rotary to me and why we are members of this great non-profit organization. I encourage all members to take time next year to be involved in the Older Persons Annual Retreat.