KEMSHOT, St James – Over 50 senior citizens were feted by Member of Parliament for East Central St James Edmund Bartlett and his wife Carmen, during a function at the newly renovated Kemshot community centre dubbed An Evening of Excellence.

The elderly residents, drawn from the Springfield division in the constituency, were on Sunday presented with plaques for their contribution to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in the constituency, and treated to sumptuous meals during the well-attended function.

According to Bartlett, the event formed part of the East Central Care project, which is geared towards providing assistance for children and the elderly.

He noted that $3 million will be set aside under the programme for the care of senior citizens, come next year.

A group of women in the constituency, dubbed the Ed’s Tulips, has been mandated to see to the welfare of the elderly in the three divisions in the East Central St James constituency.

“The programme is going to be driven by these young ladies, Ed’s Tulips, who will help with issues such as pension, PATH [Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education] programme, fill out forms to get benefits, cleaning houses, comb hair for those who are neglected, and so on. Caring for the elderly is a key responsibility of us in the community, because the elderly are the ones who have toiled over the years and whose energy and sacrifice have helped to build the community and to make us who we are today,” Bartlett explained.

He also called on employers to pay over National Insurance Scheme (NIS) remittances and for Government to “redesign the criterion” to enable a wider range of beneficiaries on the PATH programme.

Bartlett added: “And we are going to say to [the Government] that there are some elderly people who can’t qualify for the PATH programme because the system and the criteria are so onerous, we are saying also to the minister… take another look at the criteria because plenty older people, because their granddaughter send one television set come into them little old house you say them no qualify feh PATH.”