Participants were all smiling and singing during the kinetics therapy session.
PHILIPSBURG--In honour of Seniors Appreciation Month, St. Maarten Lions Club held a celebration with 55 zealous and joyful senior citizens of the Home Away from Home Foundation last Friday.
The seniors enjoyed a healthy meal and refreshments served by members of the Lions Club.
Seniors received practical tips on how to stay safe, healthy and protected from COVID-19.
The seniors were treated to a one-hour Health Awareness Talk by Maria Chemont and an Exercise Session led by movement specialist therapist Adeo Admiraal of the White and Yellow Cross Care Foundation (WYYCF). At the end of the sessions, after working up a good appetite for lunch, the seniors enjoyed a healthy, delicious meal and refreshments served by the members of the Lions Club.
Maria Chemont is a retired Ambulance Assistant, former President of the Windward Islands Emergency Medical Services (WIEMS) Foundation and an excellent counsellor and motivational speaker. The topic of discussion for the Health Talk was “Caring for Our Seniors During the COVID-19 Pandemic”.
The speaker reiterated the importance of self-care to the seniors and gave practical tips together with multiple scenarios of how to stay safe, healthy and protected from COVID-19.
Movement therapist Admiraal has been working at the WYYCF for the last two years. She holds a master’s degree in Kinetics Therapy from Utrecht, the Netherlands. The 45-minute movement session with the seniors covered the basic moves needed to assist with general circulation. The movement patterns were easy to follow, and seniors were able to complete each exercise whether they had the ability to sit on a chair or stand. The participants were all smiling and singing during the Kinetics Therapy Session as their exercises were accompanied by their favourite songs.
Several members of the Home Away from Home Foundation remarked that our seniors on the island sometimes feel isolated and commended this initiative to bridge the gap between isolated seniors and the community. Many others expressed their gratitude for the kind gesture and commented on the tasty meal servings. Others were thankful for the entertaining and informative sessions and indicated their interest in doing this again in the near future.
President of the St. Maarten Lions Club Linette Gibs stated: “The St. Maarten Lions Club joins with other Lions Clubs around the world this month in participating in a ‘Hunger Awareness Service Challenge’ issued by our International President Douglas Alexander. What better way to show our appreciation to our seniors than to spend some quality time with them and just have fun together? We are honoured to be serving our seniors today [Friday – Ed.] and seeing their happy, smiling faces.”
Members of the Lions Club Organising Committee of the event added: “This was a great and joyful event. Everyone had a fantastic time!”
