The National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC) on Friday paid homage to 103-year-old James Fagan of Wild Cane District, Mount Moriah, St. Ann, as the country marked International Day of Older Persons.

International Day of Older Persons, which falls during the celebration of Senior Citizens’ Week from September 26 to October 1, 2021, in Jamaica, was observed under the theme ‘Digital Equity for All Ages – Connect, Respect and Protect Older People in Digital technology’.

State Minister in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Zavia Mayne along with a team from the NCSC, visited Fagan at home and presented him with a gift basket as a token of appreciation.

Mayne said centenarians are a valuable link in society, having contributed significantly to the growth and development of the country.

“We have brought [a gift] as a token of our appreciation for not only the long life that God has bestowed unto him but to say thanks for the role that [he] would have played to the overall building of not just this community but Jamaica as a whole,” he said.

Mayne is encouraging Jamaicans to respect and protect the elderly as valued citizens “now more than ever” as the country continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are living through this pandemic, and we say to all, be tolerant, be patient of our seniors. The society that we are living in now is as a result of the work, the effort and the sacrifices that our seniors would have made,” Mayne said. 

He further urged relatives of seniors to ensure their health and well-being during the pandemic, by getting vaccinated.

 “The thrust of the Government at this point is vaccination, as a way of bringing back our country to a normal state… so that we can get back to our usual everyday life,” Mr. Mayne stated. 

“Our seniors are particularly vulnerable during this time and we say particularly to the children and grandchildren, play your role, ensure we protect our seniors at this time. Ensure you are vaccinated as vaccination is a way in which we can protect them not just for them to be vaccinated, but for you yourself to be vaccinated especially when you have to come in contact with them,” he added.

Fagan, who is a former church deacon and farmer and who residents hail as a community builder and inspiration, said that he is happy for the recognition.

His daughter, 72 year old Keturah Fagan, expressed gratitude to the Government for recognizing her father’s contribution to nation building.

“I am happy, I am glad that he has lived a life that everyone knows and can tell about the life that he lived, so that they [Government] can come here and appreciate all that he has done,” she said.

She described her father as a family man who toiled effortlessly to ensure the well-being of not only his children and grand-children but the entire Wild Cane community.

-JIS