Respect elderly

 Treat the elderly in this country with the dignity and respect that they so rightfully deserve.

 

This was one of the messages that the Minister of Health, John Boyce sent to participants in attendance at the session on “Safeguarding the Foundation of this Country: Care of the Elderly”, hosted by the Ministry of Health's Advisory Committee yesterday at the Pan-American Health Organisation.

 

“I encourage you to treat our elderly with dignity and respect. Let us ensure that those who need care and support have their needs met in an environment where their physical, social and mental well-being contributes to their overall health, thus enhancing their quality of life. 

 

 “Our senior citizens are assets to our nation, especially as a wealth of knowledge and we should value their contribution. They are the repositories of every aspect of Barbadian heritage and they are the ones with the intellectual property rights to our cultural, historical and social traditions. Therefore, I consider the passing of a senior as a lost to our society and a missing link in the transfer of our value system and national history,” Boyce stated.

 

“In keeping within the tenets of our oral African tradition, let us ensure that this knowledge never exists in libraries alone, but can only be harnessed if we embrace our senior citizens and see them as important sources of information which is passed on from generation to generation.”

 

Adhering to these principles is imperative considering that a country is judged by the way in which it treats its more vulnerable citizens, Boyce highlighted, and he congratulated those nursing home owners and other care providers who have played their part in this regard.

 

“It is often said that the character of a society is determined by the way it treats its most vulnerable members.  Please do not let us lose sight of this critical ideal.  I would therefore wish to applaud not only owners and managers of residential care facilities for the service given to our elderly, but also those individuals and organisations who have embraced programmes and whose objectives are to help our elderly to live long.”