Bermuda Council on Ageing - 2008: the time for action
Date Posted: Monday, February 04, 2008Author: Bermuda Network News
Bermuda 2008
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Founded in 2006, the Bermuda Council on Ageing spent 2007 engaged in an awareness-building campaign regarding the impact that our ageing population is having, and will have, on every man, woman and child in Bermuda. Areas such as work, health, education, immigration, transportation, and housing will be profoundly affected by the doubling of our senior population by 2030, and the ageing of our workforce.
We are facing the tipping point—more seniors needing care, overburdened family caregivers, and a worldwide shortage of care workers. Family caregivers who are also employed need to be rewarded for doing the right thing, with truly adequate social services and support, not punished with mental, physical, and financial burden. Caregivers are the backbone of our healthcare system. When they collapse, so will our healthcare infrastructure.
Now, 2008, is the time for action. We need legislation to protect against elder abuse and age discrimination, as well as for the rights of the family caregiver to respite, counseling, benefits, and work during and after a period committed to caregiving. We need policies in the workplace to retain, retrain, and recruit older workers, and support the caregivers.
Government, employers, and charities need to work together in 2008 and meet the challenges of our ageing population. The time has come when inaction is simply not an option.