At the just-concluded CARICOM 37th Inter-sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government, St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves once again brought the issue of the Region’s aging population to the front burner and made a passionate call for leaders to focus more on issues affecting our senior citizens.
Citing statistics from his own country, PM Gonsalves warned regional colleagues that even though the issue is not one that is known to dominate discussions at such levels, it has implications for a range of social policies for the Region. This is even more so considering the fact that the Caribbean has been recognised as having one of the fastest growing older populations in the developing world.
According to an Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Brief (2015), “young societies of the past are giving way to communities where older persons form a much larger portion of the total population”. The report indicated as well that the age structure of the Caribbean population will change appreciably over the next 20 years.
The issue of ageing has been on the Community’s agenda for close to two decades. The Caribbean Charter on Health and Ageing 1998 has as its guiding principle, a coordinated, systematic approach to ensuring the health and full integration of older persons into Caribbean societies and economies.
The Charter was adopted at the Second Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development in 1998, and launched in 1999, the year in which International Day for the Elderly was celebrated. It recognises the principle that “health and wellness encompasses the need for preventive strategies, creation of supportive environments and the availability of senior-friendly goods and services”.
Like the Charter, the Region’s vision of health, as articulated in Phase II of the Caribbean Cooperation in Health Initiative, addresses the issue of the health of the elderly. In this regard, six health promotion strategies were indentified for implementation: Healthy Public Policy; Re-Orienting Health Services; Empowering Communities; Creating Supportive Environments; Developing Personal Health Skills, and Building Alliances.
Among the specifics of these strategies are: developing and strengthening policies on ageing; developing a Bill of Rights in support of the elderly; sensitising health workers about the special needs of the elderly; strengthening primary health care services targeted at the elderly; establishing norms and standards for institutional care of the elderly; working with caregivers to ensure that standards of care are being met; preparing adults for healthy aging; educating the elderly on ways to maintain and improve their health and collaborating with Government organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the media.
We support PM Gonsalves’ call for leaders to take urgent action to ensure that people attain old age in the best possible health. Everyone desires to reach their ‘golden years’ in the best possible health as better health is central to human happiness and well-being.
Regional governments must therefore continue to invest heavily on programmes and policies to improve healthcare delivery, inclusive of building and refurbishing hospitals and other treatment centres as well as training more specialist doctors among other things.
One of the main health challenges for older people everywhere is Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lung disease. The risk of developing all NCDs can be significantly reduced by adopting healthy behaviours, such as being physically active, eating a healthy diet, avoiding the harmful use of alcohol and not smoking or using tobacco products. Hence it is necessary for countries to take appropriate steps to prevent NCDs, and to ensure that systems and services are in place to provide treatment and care when it is required.
Importantly too is the need for greater awareness and knowledge in the society about the dangers of chronic illnesses. Older people make important contributions as family members and volunteers etc. And as active participants in the workforce they are a significant social and economic resource. These are all issues that must be considered by governments and policy makers as part of their plan for their aging populations.
