First Health Dynamic Synergy International Limited (FHDSIL), in partnership with the Oyo State Ministry of Health, is set to begin the second phase of its Geriatric Care Givers Training Program in Ibadan, aimed at improving the quality of care available to the elderly population in the state.
The first program, which held in March/April 2025 over a 3-week period at the Simeon Adebo Staff Development Centre, State Secretariat, was the first comprehensive training of its kind for geriatric care providers in Oyo State.
Speaking on the significance of the training, the Managing Director of FHDSIL, Professor Temitope Alonge, said the initiative was designed to raise a new generation of professionally trained caregivers equipped with the practical and emotional skills needed to care for older adults.
According to Professor Alonge, the training was structured into three intensive weeks:
• Week one focused on classroom-based didactic lectures covering age-related diseases affecting all human body systems, nutrition, polypharmacy, skincare, and stoma care.
• Week two addressed practical caregiver challenges, infection control, elder abuse, legal rights of older adults, documentation, caregiver stress, end-of-life care, and simulated clinical scenarios.
• Week three was scheduled to include observership in facilities that manage elderly patients, with the program concluding in examinations and the issuance of certificates to successful participants.
Professor Alonge emphasized the importance of proper documentation and ‘shift handovers’ in caregiving. “Every activity, even something as basic as giving water, must be documented to ensure smooth communication and continuity between caregivers on different shifts,” he said.
Participants in the training also took part in role plays and had access to various videos of various clinical scenarios. Some of the role plays were designed to build interpersonal skills such as empathy, non-verbal communication, and management of temper and perseverance especially when dealing with difficult or cognitively impaired older patients.
The training also evaluated the psychometric status of the intending caregivers with a view to better understand their behavior and help with their placement for caregiving jobs. “In Oyo State, stroke is one of the leading causes of death among the elderly,” Professor Alonge noted. “Many families delay hospital referrals and the caregivers had a special session on early recognition of stroke and they were trained on basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
The training initiative which combined medical education, emotional intelligence, and field exposure, is part of a broader effort by FHDSIL and the Oyo State Government to build a professional workforce that can meet the growing demand for the care of the older persons in the state.
The second phase of the training scheduled to start in the 3rd week of July 2025 is expected to attract even more participants and further strengthen the foundation laid in the first course.
