BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in partnership with the Bontoc Local Government Unit (LGU) through the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) conducted an orientation on Home Care Support Services for Senior Citizens (HCSSSC) to the elders in the capital town today, July 5, 2023.
Prior to the orientation, the personnel from the DSWD paid a courtesy visit to Mayor Jerome “Chagsen” Tudlong, Jr.
The mayor extended his utmost gratitude to the DSWD for their continuous assistance to the municipality through the provision and implementation of various programs that benefit the public, especially the vulnerable sector in the community.
The participants were members of the Bontoc Municipal Federation of Senior Citizens of the Philippines. Also, Sangguniang Bayan member Viola Okko joined in the orientation.
HCSSSC is a community-based program of the DSWD that aims to provide quality care for the sick, frail, and bedridden senior citizens in their own homes through their family/kinship carers and homecare volunteers. The project ensures that older persons, their families and communities promote healthy and harmonious family relationships and take effective steps to provide care and protection to the sick, frail, bedridden, disabled, abandoned and neglected senior citizens.
Philippine statistics research finds out that 5% of the total number of senior citizens are frail and weak and are left alone to fend for themselves or are dependent on the immediate family members for many of their activities of daily living. Furthermore, 5% percent of the elderly required home care and health care services for the top five diseases that would need homecare services: diabetes mellitus, pneumonia, congestive heart failure, hypertension and chronic lung disease.
Thus, with its legal basis: Philippine Constitution 1987, Article XV (It is the duties of the family to take care of its older person members while the government may design program of social security for them), Republic Act No. 9257 of 2003 (An Act Granting Additional Benefits and Privileges to Senior Citizens), and Section 5 (Substitute family care in the form of residential care/group homes for the abandoned, neglected, un attached or homeless senior citizens and those incapable of self-care), HCSSSC is being proposed to all the Local Government Units of the Philippines.
The program aims to identify ways for older adults to retain valued roles and maintain independence; identify areas where older persons can be employed; examine DOLE policies in hiring older person; increase access to mental health services for older adults; stop abusive acts on senior citizens (verbal abuse, negligence, and physical harm); and enhance the benefits and privileges of senior citizens.
The resource speaker is Carmina Pagoy from the Office of the Regional Director- Social Technology Unit and was assisted by Alleane Kaye Sagun, the Unit Head of the Social Technology Unit. By Shannon Anthea S. Pagaduan & Alpine Killa-Malwagay
