The Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs is aiming to establish residential and elderly care facilities in each parish.
Commencing in St Philip, they will establish daycare facilities and residential facilities at the former Sterling Children’s Home and expand throughout the island.
These facilities will also be dedicated to focusing on people with Alzheimers
Permanent Secretary Jehu Wiltshire said that this initiative, announced in the Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals 2025, is in the interest of securing a safe and quality level of living for an ageing population.
“When you consider that within the next few years, about 50 per cent of the population of this country are going to be over the age of 50 . . . . essentially, we are sitting on a ticking time bomb, and if we do not make the effort now to put systems in place to ensure that we tackle this issue in a very focused manner, we are going to be facing some serious issues in this country,” he said.
Wiltshire said that by 2035, Barbados, like Japan, would be considered a super-aged society, along with all the implications.
He made the remarks during Monday’s orientation for a new cohort of nurses taking part in the Care of the Older Adult in the Community course offered by the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology in collaboration with the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs.
The course, which will span 14 weeks and held at the Lester Vaughan School in Cane Garden, St Thomas, will explore critical topics such as understanding ageing, dementia and mental health conditions, effective care-giving techniques, nutrition, legal considerations, personal care, sensitisation, strategies to enhance the quality of life, prevention of elderly wandering, and emergency response preparedness.
The course promises to equip each participant with the necessary knowledge and practical skills to provide competent and proficient care to the elderly.
“Dealing with the elderly calls for hard work,” Wiltshire said.
“It can be extremely challenging, and if you want to ensure that the elderly are treated in the way that they need to be treated, you have to do it with heart, you have to do it with compassion, you have to do it with sympathy, you have to do it with empathy.
“And those are the qualities that I am endearing you to when you go on to do the work that you are going to [be called] upon to do,” he said.
St Thomas Member of Parliament Cynthia Forde noted the role of elder care companions and encouraged attendees to utilise the opportunity to refine their skills.
“The taxpayers’ money is paying you to deliver these services. We expect you to come up to scratch to ensure that our seniors are comfortable in the best way you can do it,” Forde said.
She also urged caregivers to continue evolving.
“We want this section of our society to feel strengthened and know that they are cared for, that we love them, and that we will continue to serve them. I commend you all for accepting this position, but it’s important not to stagnate.
“You are the first in this programme, and you don’t have to be the last. When you complete your training, there is an extension of your programme that can allow you to be drafted into the same SJPI, where you can pursue an auxiliary nursing course.
“This is essential if you wish to function in other capacities within the National Assistance Board or if you aspire to become a nurse.” (JRN/PR)
