MONTEGO BAY, St James — Members of the senior citizens community across Jamaica have welcomed Friday’s launch of the Ministry of Health and Wellness’s Park Walker Initiative for Older Adults which is aimed at encouraging older individuals to become more physically active and adopt healthier lifestyles.

Westmoreland resident Ida Kamara, who participated in a walking and dancing session during the event held at Harmony Beach Park in St James, wants the ministry to continue pushing for senior engagement. “Get them out, and let them enjoy what life has left for them to do because it’s not the end of the road for them, but when they’re sitting down they will go away — waste away very fast,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

Similar sentiments were shared by 62-year-old Manchester resident Walter “Banna” Thompson.