A training workshop on elderly care services, implemented by the National Elderly General Secretariat under the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Protection and Community Empowerment, was held at the Kegalle District Secretariat premises for three days from 08/05/06/07, 2025. The objectives were to provide good training on the elderly and elderly care services, to care for the residents of elderly homes and to satisfy their physical, mental and social needs.
The main objective of this program was to provide care to the elderly community by educating all the officers who provide care and services to the elderly residents of the elderly homes in the district and to provide better quantitative and qualitative services to them. As a result, the workshop held on 06 and 07 August 2025 provided information on "Caring for bedridden adults, bed linen management, bathing a bedridden adult, nursing, and how to use wheelchairs" and the nursing officers of the Kegalle Regional Health Medical Officer's Office participated in the workshop as resource persons. Also, Dr. Umanda Dissanayake, Non-Communicable Diseases Officer on the topic of "Nutrition and Exercise", Dr. Suranjanika Gunathilaka, Psychiatrist on the topic of "Spiritual Well-being of the Elderly", District Senior Counseling Officer Renuka Jayaratne on the topic of "Guidance for the Elderly Care Provider", and Mr. I. H. Rajapaksa, Health Education Officer of the Kegalle Medical Office on the topic of Common Health Problems of the Elderly and Other Issues, were involved as resource persons for this three-day workshop.
How does this workshop provide nutritional needs for the elderly and a nutritious diet for them? In order to educate the benefactors who donate to the elderly homes, a nutritional diet chart was prepared, the importance of being personally aware of the nutrition of the elderly based on their health status, providing adequate amounts of nutrients to meet the nutritional needs of the elderly, the importance of exercise during aging; how to achieve the results of engaging in light exercise approved by the Ministry of Health, physical health, mental health, reducing the risk of disease, maintaining independence, expending energy, and improving the quality of life.
It is also very important to be aware of mental illnesses in order to care for the elderly with love. It is very important to be aware of dementia and the symptoms of the early stages of the disease. The wardens also informed the wardens and assistants of the elderly homes who were present about how to deal with them kindly and amicably. At the end of the program, Additional District Secretary (Administration) T. A. Kusum Bandara distributed certificates to them. This workshop was organized by the officers of the Elderly Division of the District Secretariat and ended as a successful three-day workshop.
