Neglect and abuse of the elderly is to be addressed shortly, Minister of Social Protection Volda Lawrence has said, noting that the defunct Commission for the Elderly is to be reestablished.
According to a GINA press release, Lawrence said government is well aware of some of the challenges the elderly face in residential care settings.
GINA quoted the minister as saying, “What I came and I met was a work in progress. In terms of the standards of the home, it was talked about, but we have not found anything that indicated that work was done… These are among the list of things that we have for the Commission for the Elderly that will be established very soon.” Suggested names for the commission are currently before Cabinet for consideration, the release said.
Lawrence noted that the issue of care for the elderly has to be looked at in a holistic way, not only in the homes, but also in terms of who are taken into a home, what services are being provided, and if caregivers at the institutions are adequately trained, the release said.
According to GINA, with the establishment of the Commission for the Elderly and the proactive role of the Social Protection Ministry, there will be a structure to reduce incidents of neglect, as well as for the monitoring of the standards of care provided to older people in private and public institutions.
The release added that Lawrence said these issues will be addressed shortly, as promised by the Government, when it took office six months ago.
