New laws to deal with ageing society — Humphrey

Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Kirk Humphrey, says Barbados has been caught “unprepared” by the country’s approach to “super-aged” status and is now racing to deal with the new status quo.

Speaking at a press briefing held at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex on Monday ahead of the 2025 National Senior Games, Humphrey said, the government is now seeking to implement key legislative reforms to better support its growing elderly population.

He cited data from the most recent census and noted that approximately 20 per cent of Barbados’ population is already over the age of 65—just one percentage point shy of the 21 per cent threshold used internationally to define a “super-aged” society.

“It seems to me that this ageing phenomenon has caught Barbados unprepared. I say so because when I think about the number of persons who are getting older, in terms of the institutions that we have, in terms of the legislation that we have, we were not fully prepared. The statistics tell us that Barbados is inching towards becoming a super-aged society; a super-aged society obviously comes with its own concerns. We have more people who are going to be in need of care as they get older [and] considering Barbados is producing less children, you have a smaller workforce,” he said.

The demographic trend is driven in part by longer life expectancy coupled with declining birth rates, which raises pressing challenges for both healthcare and economic sustainability, the minister said.

“There’s a thing called a dependency ratio; dependency ratio essentially is the amount of persons who are not working who have to be supported in relation to the amount of persons who are working. So people under 16, people over 65 tend to want support and that group is supported by the working population which is dwindling. Essentially, you have a larger ageing population and a smaller workforce to be able to support that population, and if that population is unhealthy, then the cost of supporting that population becomes even more impactful.

“Therefore, we have to find a way to be able to keep healthy. Healthy and active ageing has been part of the mandate of the ministry,” Humphrey stressed.

He also announced major legislative efforts aimed at improving elder care and planning for age-related cognitive decline.

The minister revealed that the long-awaited Elderly Bill is now in draft form and expected to be laid before Parliament by June. In addition, legislation surrounding lasting powers of attorney is also being finalised. These legal tools would allow individuals to designate someone to manage their affairs even after losing cognitive capacity—an option not currently available under existing Barbadian law.

“In Barbados as it stands, if you reach a certain age and then you are affected by anything that challenges you cognitively— you develop dementia—then your power of attorney ceases, and it [the Bill] allows us to review that,” he said. “It gives greater options to persons who can then find new ways to care for the elderly. It also gives the elderly, I should say seniors, options as well in relation to how they choose to be cared for as we go forward. That legislation should also be in the Parliament by June, July as well.” (SB)