FILIPINO nurses working as domestic helpers in Hong Kong were trained on dementia care to enable them to look for a more suitable work in the former British colony, the Department of Labor and Employment said.
The DoLE-Philippine Overseas Labor Office said the DoLE and the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing trained 17 Filipina nurses on how to care for elderly patients to diversify their skill sets and allow them to find alternative work from housekeeping.
The nurses were trained in supporting the physical, psychological, emotional, social, spiritual and even intellectual needs of their elderly charges, as well as creating a secure, loving environment for them, the DoLE said.
Participants were also taught how to identify and resolve problems and to communicate effectively with their charges without losing their patience.
Labor attaché Jalilo O. dela Torre of POLO-Hong Kong said the seminar was crucial in teaching nurses new skills and “understanding the conditions associated with old age.”
“Elderlies still need to feel recognized and appreciated for their ideas, abilities and talents, thus caregivers must make them feel that their choices are followed and that they are given the chance to make their own decisions,” Dela Torre said.
