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The Grandstand area of the Queens Park Savannah in Port of Spain was
the venue chosen to host TTARP’s 20th Anniversary grand Family Fiesta
on October 12th. It was envisaged to be a day of celebration catering for
thousands of members.
A lot of planning and organizing went into making the day as smooth and
memorable as possible. After the National Anthem, the day’s activities
started with the Honourable Secretary, Mayling Younglao recapping in her
usual vibrant manner, a short history of the association’s formation giving
recognition and thanks to the pioneers.
The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Faud Khan was the special guest
speaker and his message was focused towards improved health care for the
elderly at hospitals. It was indeed a pleasure to have the Minister in our midst
for this auspicious occasion.
A longstanding member Joan Lowhar was kindly asked to share her views
and reasons for joining the association almost twenty years ago, and for
maintaining her membership over the years. In her speech, Ms. Lowhar
pointed out that the mission statement “to improve the Golden Years”
attracted her attention, since she believed it gave persons a new appreciation
of ageing and attached value to their years and experience.
Dr. Rajeeva Khaja spoke on the sixty types of dementia pointing out that
Alzheimer’s is the worst kind, and that patients must be cared for lovingly
using the acronym NEWS – Nutrition, Exercise, Water (drink plenty), and
Socialization. His exuberant presentation was well received and greatly
appreciated.
And as with all health seminars, exercise is key to keeping fit, as
was demonstrated by Karen Blackman. Yoga is her specialty and her
demonstrations using members from the audience brought some humor and
laughter to everyone.
