District Emergency Organizations (DEOs) are to be mobilized over the next week to reach out to elderly citizens to check on their health care status, and whether or not they have signs of COVID-19, the Government announced today.
In the initial phase to get under way from Monday, the parishes of St Philip, St Michael, Christ Church, St George and St Lucy will be targeted.
DEO personnel are to telephone residents aged 70 and over in their assigned area instead of visiting their homes as physical engagement with the elderly is being discouraged at this time, the Ministry of Home Affairs said.
The authorities stressed the DEO members will identify themselves and will not be asking for any financial details or money.
Speaking during a virtual meeting yesterday, Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson said this formed part of Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s initiative to ensure that residents over the age of 70 were protected as much as possible from contracting COVID-19.
“The over 70s are our more critical and vulnerable population. A lot of them suffer with chronic non-communicable diseases which makes them susceptible to COVID-19,” he said, while urging the public’s cooperation during the one-week exercise.
The move was supported by COVID-19 Czar Richard Carter who explained that a society was judged by its social status and the way it took care of the most vulnerable. “COVID-19 exposes the vulnerability of elderly persons,” he said.
Carter explained that the DEOs were provided with a list of names of elderly persons over 70, according to their polling district, their addresses and telephone numbers, so they could reach out to them and see what, if any, help was needed.
Noting that only basic information was being collected during the exercise, Carter gave an assurance that it would be kept in the strictest confidence and only shared with the relevant Government agencies.
In circumstances where elderly people, their relatives or caregivers indicate that they were not feeling well, they would be referred to a medical professional and interviewed further.
Senior Communications Officer with the COVID Implementation Unit in the Prime Minister’s Office Denise Carter-Taylor explained that the members of the DEOs would have a checklist to use as guidance.
That list, she explained, would require them to ascertain the person’s name, address and telephone number; whether they live alone or with others; if they are able to get their meals with or without assistance; their ability to go to the supermarket; whether they care for themselves alone or with help; if they are able to go to the doctor alone or need assistance to do; and also whether they have had any COVID-19 symptoms within the last three weeks.
She added that in cases where the elderly persons could not speak for themselves, due to an ailment such as dementia, the DEO representatives would be able to speak with their relatives or caregivers.
The Department of Emergency Management is to assist in the process of making calls to the elderly as a part of the exercise.