Seniors being neglected, says Gibson

Elderly care in Barbados needs to be addressed with a sense of urgency, said spokesman on health for the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), Paul Gibson, as he addressed party supporters on the opening night of their 66th annual conference.

Gibson said the lack of attention currently given to seniors, especially at the island’s main healthcare facility, needs to be speedily corrected.

“One of the things that is beginning to creep into our healthcare system in Barbados is that the elderly are being neglected. It is a big concern to me. We actually have a ministry for the elderly, and you would think if that is the case that the issues relating to the elderly would be addressed,” he said.

“People are calling for bedpans in the [Queen Elizabeth Hospital] and the A&E department, and many times the nurse would call the family member and say ‘your neighbour or friend needs a bedpan’. You think that is good enough? The reason I am addressing that, is that it comes right back to the fact that when you go to the A&E department in this country, it is not to die.

“Unfortunately, sometimes it seems that if a mature, elderly person comes into the hospital, they believe sometimes that they are coming to die…. Sometimes the care that is given leaves a lot to be desired because of how some people are treating our elderly,” Gibson added.

Citing the large number of elderly persons living on the island, the DLP spokesman called for greater attention to be shown to the senior members of society, as the current stock of facilities dedicated to their health needs remained worryingly low.

“Barbados has an aging population, a population that is more than 50 per cent of the elderly. We do not have enough elderly homes, we have 37 people lying on hospital beds still after all of this time because they are being abandoned, and this current government, as opposed to making an effort to create a space for them and to build facilities and to expand the aging homes, they are doing very little.

“We are going to have challenges unless we are futuristic in our thinking and in our outlook, in looking at taking care of the elderly in this country,” Gibson added. (SB)