Montego Bay, St. James – March 20, 2019: The Western Chapter of the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP) was launched on Thursday, March 14 at the Blessed Sacrament Hall in Montego Bay. Guest Speaker at the event, Western Publishers owner and former MP Lloyd B Smith called for “an attitudinal change in Jamaica towards the elderly.” He said elderly persons were subject to ageism in many forms: disrespect at the workplace, in the use of public transportation and even in families.
“We have to play a serious role in mentoring,” he urged, “because too many do not honour their fathers and mothers.” He said there were too many superstitious comments about those living with dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, and called for greater compassion. He said there were unscrupulous persons setting up unregistered nursing homes where the elderly were subjected to abuse.
He called on the CCRP membership to look out for the elderly, and to advise returning residents about the changing environment of Jamaica. “Some build large houses that they cannot manage, and an ostentatious lifestyle can attract the wrong kind of people,” he noted.
The still active 72-year-old congratulated the organisation on providing job placements for its members, noting that retirees still had much to offer and that the Jamaican private and public sectors would be depriving themselves of the valuable experience that such persons could bring to their organisations.
Convener of the CCRP Western Jamaica Chapter, Dr. Norma Taylor noted that the organisation now had 131 members in the parishes of Trelawny, St. James, Hanover and Westmoreland.
“We would like to make CCRP more accessible for these valued members,” she said. “We are very grateful to my place of worship, Unity of Montego Bay at 12 Dome Street, which has agreed to provide a part-time desk for CCRP.”
On the matter of personal safety, she noted, “As we in the Western parishes deal with issues of not only retirement and aging but also issues of personal safety, we feel it is important for us to join together and have a unified voice to be advocates for our fellow seniors and elderly in the Western parishes.”
Dr. Taylor also pointed out that the organisation has over 80 discount partners and a major medical insurance scheme: “As we contemplate the financial challenges we also face, I urge you all to invite others to come on board as they will gain greatly from the benefits being offered, especially the CCRP Sagicor Major Medical Health Insurance Plan.”
Master of Ceremonies for the event was Joy Clark and the vote of thanks was moved by Shona Heron.
The newest discount partner of CCRP was introduced at the launch: the Jamaica Automobile Association (JAA) which is offering a 33 per cent discount to members. JAA representative Kimberly Martin noted that this would cover 24-hour roadside assistance, valet services for fitness and registration, additional discount partners and when travelling to the US, all the benefits offered to members of the American Automobile Association (AAA).
The CCRP Central Jamaica Chapter launched in 2018 serves St. Elizabeth, Manchester and Clarendon. and Convener Patricia ‘Pesh’ Blackwood operates a part-time desk at Global Travel Services, Manchester Shopping Centre, kindly contributed by Mrs Jean Seaga Anderson. The North East Jamaica Chapter will be launched in May 2019.
Founded in 2010 by Jean Lowrie-Chin as a tribute to her senior mentors, CCRP is a non-profit, non-denominational and non-political organisation for persons 50 years and over. The organization’s mission is to honour, empower and protect seniors in Jamaica and the Diaspora. Jean Lowrie-Chin is Executive Chair of CCRP, and the head office is operated out of PROComm at 2 Phoenix Avenue, Kingston 10. CCRP now has a membership of 2,530 Jamaicans from every walk of life.
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