Special dementia facility to be built in St Philip

Dementia, the debilitating condition afflicting an increasing number of elderly Barbadians, is getting major attention from the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs.

This was among the disclosures in Parliament on Tuesday during day two of the 2025-2026 Estimates Debates which outlines the amount of funding provided by the state to various ministries, departments and entities.

As the spotlight moved from the Office of the Attorney General to the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, the permanent secretary in that ministry Jehu Wiltshire addressed the matter of care for the dementia patients.

Dementia is a condition that causes memory loss, problems communicating, and processing information, mood swings and confusion. Alzheimer’s disease is a specific brain disease with far worse dementia symptoms.

Wiltshire told the Lower Chamber: “One fundamental issue that we face as a super-aged society [is] the question of a number of persons who are here with dementia. We consider that there’s a need for a special [facility], even though we’re going to establish a daycare facility at Sterling, [St Philip], a part of that facility, will be a specialised section . . . to be dedicated to persons with dementia.

“I recall I had a relative that looked after an elderly relative with close to two decades and it was not an easy task. These persons need to have some degree of respite and in that regard, we’ll be having some consultations with the Alzheimer’s Association with a view to ensuring that when that facility is established, we do it in the right ways to bring some degree of ease to those persons who are looking after their elderly relatives who have dementia.”

In her contribution to the debate, MP for St James South Sandra Husbands regarded the situation facing Barbados with its rising elderly population as a looming “economic crisis”.

Stressing that as people retire and their income decreases, they find it increasingly difficult to take care of themselves and maintain assets such as their homes.

“Even middle-aged, middle-class seniors who in early retirement are comfortable will eventually find themselves in serious poverty and without a doubt, we cannot house everyone. So, my question is, are there any plans for collaborations between the Ministry of Housing, Finance and so on to look at a programme of renovation and repair of the homes of seniors?” Husbands queried on Minister Humphrey.

She added: “I feel that there needs to be some programme that is going to help otherwise we’re going to have a lot of real estate property in serious deterioration and be unable to use it when we have a shortage of housing and added to that, I want to know if it is possible for your ministry to start looking at an education programme to help people put in place proper arrangements for real estate planning and their old age?”

Humphrey stressed that it was impossible and unsustainable to seek to repair the home of every elderly person in the country. He however, noted that the Ministry was involved in small scale efforts such as repainting and cleaning around some properties.

He noted that reverse mortgages would be a better alternative rather than have the State accept such a major undertaking.

“There are many people who are asset rich and cash poor [who could] look at reverse mortgages. I know a paper came to Cabinet in relation to reverse mortgages and it actually came to the ministry, and we support the idea of a reverse mortgage to allow people to be able to do that so that would take the burden off of the State in many cases but yet get the same outcome that you are anticipating,” Humphrey said in response. 

(IMC1)