GRAND CAYMAN (GIS) – Elderly residents in local care homes will enjoy increased contact with families and friends, due a thoughtful donation by the Foster Group.

Car City Manager, Taylor Foster gave 13 smartphones to the Ministry of Community Affairs’ Chief Officer, Teresa Echenique, on Wednesday, 22 April 2020. The devices, chosen for their wide screens, will allow seniors to take part in WhatsApp calls and video chats during this time of restricted visits.

The donation will benefit residents in self-isolation at the Department of Children and Family Services’ Golden Age Home, Maple House and Kirkconnell Community Care Centre residential facilities, and also those at the Pines Retirement Home, operated by the National Council of Voluntary Organisations. These phones will continue to be used in the facilities even after the restrictions end, to encourage close ongoing contact between residents and families.

The Foster Group is proud to be able to support this initiative,” said its representative.

“In times like this, with so many things going on around us, it’s important that we don’t forget our elders. With help from FLOW we were able to find a solution to help keep them connected with their loved ones while maintaining social distance. FLOW has also agreed to assist by enhancing the bandwidth speed at each of the homes,” Mr. Foster added.

Ms Echenique thanked the Foster Group for supporting the Ministry in such an important initiative. 

“In an effort to ensure the safety of our seniors, visits to care home facilities in the Cayman Islands were suspended last month, in line with the government’s shelter-in-place provisions. While giving them some measure of protection against COVID-19 it has isolated the elderly, who look forward to seeing weekly visitors. This donation is truly “Cayman Kind” in action and for this we are most grateful,” the Chief Officer said.

During the handover, Mr. Foster and Ms Echenique observed social distancing.

For details about how the private sector can further support seniors and other vulnerable groups, please email [email protected]. If you or a senior you know needs to talk to someone, requires assistance or wants to find out about other services, please call the Older Persons Helpline at 1-800-534-2222.