Senior citizens offered reduced packages for manicures and pedicures |09 October 2021

Minister Zialor addressing the gathering at the launch ceremony (Photos: Jude Morel)

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family Affairs and a privately owned spa, Tranquility Day Spa, have partnered together to offer senior citizens with reduced packages for manicures and pedicures.

The initiative which hails from the division for quality of life at the ministry was officially launched by Minister Marie-Celine Zialor during a ceremony held yesterday at the Family House, Bel Eau.

Aside from being an initiative to pamper senior citizens and make them feel good, the new service aims to provide correct treatments for feet and nails for senior citizens with diabetes.

Good footcare – healthy skin, nail care and proper footwear – is considered important for persons living with diabetes because they face greater risks of having problems with their feet, which might lead to amputations.

The event was attended by principal secretary for family affairs Clive Roucou; principal secretary for local government Kevin Perrine, the owner of Tranquility Day Spa Cleomice Course, officials from the Ministry of Health and other partners, as well as some senior citizens.

The spa will start offering basic and spa manicures and pedicures to the elderly at costs ranging from R125 to R200 as well as leg and foot massages.

Although the senior citizens can make appointments to the spa based at Angel Fish marina at Eden Island, the service is expected to be made available in district administration office or community centres across the country.

The manicure and pedicure service will be made available at the Bel Air district administration office on Thursday next week, as from 11am.

Ms Course, who trained in South Africa, explained that the manicurists at her spa understand how to treat the feet and hand of persons dealing with different type of ailments, including diabetes.

“We are aiming to help our citizens who are at their golden age how to better take care of their feet and reduce the number of amputations in the country. Diabetic patients might cut themselves while trying to trim their nails on their own so we want to help them, either by themselves or we show their carers how to do it or we do it ourselves,” stated Ms Course.

“Our spa reassures the public that we know how to treat people based on their illness. This is why we they have to fill in a form before the pedicure or manicure or treatment. The risk of infection in diabetic patients is high and we ensure that we sterilise all of our equipment for all of our clients to avoid these infections,” she added.

In her speech to officially launch the service, Minister Zialor observed that this initiative is very much needed in Seychelles, a country with a significantly high number of diabetic patients – whether hereditary or acquired later in life.

Minister Zialor added that the launch of the service comes at an opportune time following the celebration of the International Day for Older Persons last week, on October 1.

Elsie Pointe