Tailor messages to those with pre-existing conditions

President of the Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP) Marilyn Rice-Bowen is urging officials to tweak their COVID-19 messages to also appeal to those with pre-existing health conditions such as non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

At the same time, Rice-Bowen is pleading with elderly Barbadians to get vaccinated in light of a recent spike in COVID-related deaths. The vast majority of those who died were unvaccinated and had an underlying health condition.

Over the past week, Barbados recorded 11 COVID-19-related deaths, with the majority of them between the ages of 50 and 85 years-old. There were two 47-year-olds.

For the month of September, the country recorded a total of 27 deaths, bringing the total resulting from the virus to 78.

A concerned Rice-Bowen said as the country sought to raise greater awareness around the pandemic and push the protocols and vaccination messages must be suitably tailored for each audience.

“Of course if you have comorbidities, and we are talking about high blood pressure, diabetes . . . you are predisposed and COVID will not be kind to you,” said Rice-Bowen.

Studies prior to the pandemic estimated that around 20 per cent or close to 60,000 Barbadians are living with diabetes, just over 40 per cent are affected by hypertension and more than 30 per cent are obese or overweight.

“I have noticed from the [COVID-19] reports that most persons who passed had comorbidities and they were unvaccinated. Therefore, the message now has to be reshaped so that we reach those persons with comorbidities and encourage them to get vaccinated as a matter of urgency,” said Rice-Bowen.

She made the comments while responding to questions from the media on Friday during a virtual signing ceremony where BARP and the Barbados Diabetes Foundation renewed a contract to allow the more than 22,000 BARP members to access services related to diabetes at a discounted rate.

The two-year agreement was signed on International Day of Older Persons.

Rice-Bowen pleaded with BARP members and the wider population to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, insisting that while authorities and organisations were able to plan and facilitate, it was also up to individuals to take greater responsibility for their own health.

“Tears will not erase the situation, get vaccinated. Tears will not wash away COVID, observe the protocols. Residents in Barbados, I want you to view your health responsibility as synonymous with your civic responsibility and observe the protocols,” Rice-Bowen advised.

“There are those of you who are sitting on the fence, your time has expired. Get vaccinated today, tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. COVID is real. Today, I reiterate my call for you to institute your own personal lockdown. Gradually reduce your days away from home and stay inside and slow down the spread of COVID. If it is that right now you are going out four days a week, reduce it to three and then reduce it to two . . . but we must do our part to slow down the spread of COVID” she said.

She said in the coming weeks BARP officials would be carrying out “telephone wellness checks” with members, recognising that there were a number of seniors who were living alone.

“If necessary and they need medical assistance we will pass that information on to the authorities. We are committed to assisting our members particularly in these times of COVID,” she said.

With the month of October being observed as breast cancer month, Rice-Bowen also urged Barbadians to get tested for breast cancer so they can take early action against this dreaded disease.

Meanwhile, Manager of the Barbados Diabetes Foundation Dwight Edghill, acknowledged that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) seemed to have been placed on the backburner although medical officials have identified people with these conditions as more susceptible to grave illness.

“He gave the assurance that “the fight is still on”.

Edghill said the diabetes foundation was continuing its work with the Ministry of Health, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados, the Barbados Cancer Society and the Diabetes Association of Barbados in the fight against NCDs and raising greater awareness.

He said: “The Barbadian health service now is under tremendous pressure and we as an NGO find it even more necessary now to step up to the plate to assist the polyclinics and all those other places where our elderly are now fighting for services because of the COVID-19 pandemic.” (marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)