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Developing a Culture of Assisted-Care for the Elderly
Observer Reporter
Jamaica
July 25, 2005
Minister of Health John Junor on Friday warned that as Jamaica's population ages, more of the elderly will be requiring assisted care.
But he also acknowledged that government was behind in the provision of services for seniors, saying private facilities were ahead of the game but that there is a recognition that the public sector needed to fast-track programmes to bring them in line.
He did not spell out, however, what those plans entail, nor their timelines.
"Assisted living is one of the waves of the future especially in this aging population," said Junor, speaking at the dedication of a privately run facility, the Eulice Utton Homes for seniors in Mandeville.
"The public sector is going to have to catch up with that reality as well."
Reiterating that by the year 2020 more than 60 per cent of Jamaicans will be over the age of 70, the minister added that the culture will also have to change as senior homes become more important.
"There is not a culture of persons checking into assisted living facilities, but, increasingly, it's an option that we are not going to have much choice about."
The nuclear family, popularised by modernisation, has seen parents having fewer children, which, said the minister, eventually will mean fewer family members being available as caregivers.
The Eulice Utton Homes opened in May, but has not had much business yet.
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