KINGSTON, Jamaica. Friday, October 4, 2024: Jamaica is reinforcing its commitment to elderly care and has supported plans by the World Health Organisation to prioritise the strengthening of long-term care in the Region of the Americas.
Addressing the 61st Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) Directing Council in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton signalled the nation’s intent to shore up action for the delivery of integrated and sustainable long-term care, even as Jamaica notes the vulnerabilities of its ageing population.
“One of the features of Jamaica’s transition through this process is the significant migration of the younger population. This negatively impacts and exacerbates the issue of care to the elderly and urges the development of policies that ensures that this group is not left behind,” the Minister said.
Some 12% of the Jamaican population are 60 years and over, with the proportion of people in that age group projected to increase to 16.8% by 2025.
“We are developing the Elderly Health Programme and this will allow for incorporation and implementation of some of the strategies. As we implement primary health care reform, we are highlighting a Life Stage Approach to Health Promotion and Prevention, using the person centered approach, and the elderly population are targeted for improving health literacy and screening,” highlighted Minister Tufton.
Among the concerns as persons live longer is the impact of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the quality of life of those affected. To that end, the Minister emphasised the need to strengthen the workforce capacity and support systems for long-term care, inclusive of providing opportunities for training to unpaid workers.
“We agree that it is essential to equip persons in the home to care for their elderly and see that this will be important in reducing the strain on hospitals. In addition, as part of our expansion of services in the primary health care reform, we are introducing rehabilitative and palliative care,” the Minister said.
The Policy on Long-Term Care extends across the period 2025 to 2034 and urges countries to invest in increased access to health and social care systems across the life course.