Karoline Schmid

Caribbean challenges of a global phenomenon

Harold Robinson

Information is the basis for effective action

Implementation of the Regional Strategy

Caribbean steps towards a society for all ages

Montevideo:

ECLAC called the attention of countries on social protection

March, 2006

In Latin America and the Caribbean

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Ageing andDevelopment

ewsletterN

NEWSLETTER AGEING ANDDEVELOPMENT

NUMBER 3, MARCH 2006

Latin American and CaribbeanDemographic Centre (CELADE)-Population Division of ECLAC

www.cepal.org/celade

DirectorDirk Jaspers-Faijer

CoordinatorJosé Miguel Guzmán

ProductionKaroline SchmidLauren LegallMónica Cuevas

EditorMónica Cuevas

Contactboletin.envejecimiento@cepal.org

This newsletter was prepared by the LatinAmerican and Caribbean Demographic Centre(CELADE)-Population Division of ECLAC and theECLAC Sub-regional Headquarters for theCaribbean, in cooperation with the other membersof the Inter-Institutional Group on Ageing: UnitedNations Population Fund (UNFPA), United NationsProgram on Ageing, Pan American HealthOrganization (PAHO), Inter-AmericanDevelopment Bank (IDB), International LabourOrganization (ILO) and the World Bank.

Produced with financial support from the UNFPA

The views expressed in this document, which hasbeen reproduced without formal editing, are thoseof the authors and do not necessarily reflect theviews of the organization.

vailable data show that theCaribbean is one of thefastest ageing regions in

the world and it is expected that over thenext 50 years, almost all of its countrieswill experience at least a doubling of thepercentage of persons over age 60.Already relatively advanced are Barbados,Cuba and Puerto Rico whereas Haiti,Belize, the Dominican Republic andGuyana still have rather “young”populations.

In expression of its commitment tostrengthen the region in its capacity torespond to these challenges, the ECLACSub-regional Headquarters for theCaribbean has embarked on variousinitiatives. These include the publicationof two studies on population ageing in theCaribbean and the support of the FirstCaribbean Symposium on PopulationAgeing, an intergovernmental meetingconvened in Port of Spain, Trinidad andTobago in November 2004.

The first day of this event was devoted toacademic research on population ageingin the Caribbean while the second andthird day provided a platform for

governments to share best practices andto identify gaps in their efforts to addresspopulation ageing in their respectivecountries. An expert panel composed ofprofessionals from across the region andinternationally, provided insight intocritical issues in ageing from a regionaland global perspective.

Of critical importance to the region are issues related to ageingand economic and social security, health care, housing, transportand living conditions and the establishment of a legal frameworkto regulate various aspects affecting the lives of the elderly.

Of critical importance to the region areissues related to ageing and economicand social security, health care, housing,transport and living conditions and theestablishment of a legal framework toregulate various aspects affecting thelives of the elderly. Further, the meetingexpressed a definitive need to recognizegender specific aspects in ageing and towork towards enhancingintergenerational solidarity at the countrylevel.

To fill these gaps, it was suggested to setup a Caribbean Ageing Network as amechanism to share best practices andto develop modalities for south-southcooperation. The academia presentsuggested the establishment of aresource center to share and coordinateresearch on ageing in the region.

Accepting an invitation by the Universityof the West Indies in early 2005, theECLAC sub-regional Headquarters hasbeen serving at the national team ofTrinidad and Tobago to implement phaseIII of the “Integrated Response of HealthCare Systems to Rapid PopulationAgeing” (INTRA).

The ECLAC Sub-regional Headquartersreiterates its commitment to support thisand other initiatives of the Caribbeancountries in their thrive to implementpledges made at global and regionalgatherings to make growing older ahappy, healthy and enjoyable experiencefor all peoples in the region.

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Karoline Schmid

Caribbeanchallengesof a globalphenomenonPopulation Affairs Officer at the ECLACSub-regional Headquarters for theCaribbean.

but more in-depth work is needed. Usingthis information, UNFPA organized round-table meetings during 2005 in Belize,Guyana and Saint Lucia, as a starting pointfor the different stakeholders to discusspolicy proposals. It is hoped to extendthese activities to Suriname, Trinidad andTobago and Jamaica during 2006.

The compilation of data for a betterunderstanding of the conditions in whichthe region’s elderly live is a keycomponent of a whole range of processesdirected at convincing the decision makersto mainstream the ageing perspective intopublic policies. Another key part of this isinvolving older persons in actions to laythe groundwork for the society for all agesto which we aspire.

UNFPA has adopted the United Nations

approach of encouraging the greatestpossible participation of the differentstakeholders in a bottom-up strategy tooversee progress in the implementationof the Madrid International Plan of Actionon Ageing. This approach is designed toincorporate the views of older people andwill be an essential part of the review ofthe Plan to be conducted in 2007.

From this forum, UNFPA reiterates itsstanding offer to work collaboratively withgovernments and regional institutions thatshare these objectives, as well as agenciesof the United Nations system. All areencouraged to devise creative ways tomake the most of the tremendous humancapital represented by the elderly andfoster their participation in society.

o mainstream theperspective of the humanlife cycle into development

processes, with a special emphasis on thepoorest older adult population, has beena constant objective of the United NationsPopulation Fund (UNFPA) in the English-and Dutch-speaking Caribbean nations.

The possibility of carrying forward thisobjective, which arose from the secondWorld Assembly on Ageing (Madrid, 2002)and from the Regional Strategy (Santiago2003), depends to a great extent on theavailability of data on the situation of theelderly in the countries concerned. It isimpossible to build responses to theirneeds into general public policies and intoplans and programmes to deal with thesocial demands of ageing unless sufficientand reliable information is available.

In much of the Caribbean, the absence ofdata on the implications of the ageingprocess and on the situation of older adultshas been an obstacle to the preparationand implementation of strategies toimprove this population group’s quality oflife and to the promotion of their rights.

UNFPA has undertaken an active role inthis regard, conducting situation analysesin Belize, Suriname, Saint Lucia, andGuyana. Similar activities have beenplanned for Jamaica and for Trinidad andTobago. All these countries constitutepriorities for UNFPA work in the subregion.

The results of these analyses have formedthe basis for an initial appraisal of thesituation of the elderly in those countries,

Harold Robinson

Information is thebasis for effectiveaction

Representative of the United NationsPopulation Fund (UNFPA) for the English-and Dutch-speaking Caribbean.

T PUBLICACIONES

“Living arrangements of olderpersons around the world”A first global survey and analysis onthe patterns and trends in the livingarrangements of older persons. Itpresents data for more than 130countries.Department of Economic and SocialAffairs, Population DivisionUnited Nations, 2005http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/livingarrangement/report.htm

“Ageing: Discussing the issue inTrinidad”A look into the main points on debateabout ageing topics in the island.Joan RawlinsUniversity of the West Indies, St.Augustine, Trinidad. 2004

“Health, well-being, and ageing inLatin America and the Caribbean”A special edition of the Pan AmericanJournal of Public Health focused ondifferent ageing issues in the region.Pan American Health OrganizationVol.17. May-June 2005

“Adultos mayores en plenitud:riqueza de vida”Interviews to sixteen Chilean olderpersons who play important roles indifferent social scopes.Macarena MorenoServicio Nacional del Adulto Mayor,Gobierno de Chile, 2005.

The compilation of data about the conditions in which the region’selderly live and manage their lives is a key component tomainstream the ageing perspective into public policies.

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ARUBA

Committed to autonomy

The Aruban Government has committedto an immediate plan of action to assistthe elderly in remaining autonomous foras long as possible in their environments,while fully developing their potential andcontributing actively to society. To thisend, a number of objectives have beenidentified and a commitment has beenmade to carry out the necessary studiesto guarantee the solvency of existingsocial security systems.

The Government has recognized that thepresent social infrastructure will notsupport the demographic transitionexpected over the next 10 to 20 years. Analternative organizational structure isproposed, with emphasis on a continuumof care between the home, institutionaland community based long-term care andrelevant welfare institutions, as well as afocusing of resources on the needs ofolder persons, including long term careand assistance and treatment of chronicdiseases.

This action plan also seeks to guaranteeincome security for the elderly now andin the future. The Aruban Government hasadopted an official old-age pensionprogramme, designed to ensure aminimum income for the elderly.

There is also a plan to promote healthand well-being in old age by focusing onthe preventive aspect of health andmedical care and by encouraging theactive participation of the olderpopulation in the social mainstream.

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA

Brightening the lives of the elderly

A draft National Policy for the Elderly wasproduced by the Social ImprovementSector of the Ministry of Health in Antiguain 2002. Prior to that, in 1995, there wasan amendment to the Social Security Actof 1972. This resulted in a non-contributorypension scheme designed to providefinancial assistance to older persons whopreviously would not have qualified,because they did not contribute to theSocial Security Scheme during theirworking life.

The Government, through the Citizens’Welfare Division, has also developedprogrammes to address the social needsof the vulnerable elderly, by filling thegaps in service to relieve loneliness andthe stress of ageing. One suchprogramme is the Welfare Aides Servicewhich provides facilities and servicesaimed at fulfilling the recreational, socialand emotional needs of the elderlypopulation. “Housebound” elderly withphysical limitations also receive socialassistance through the Home HelpService. This organization ensures theprovision of assistance with domesticactivities in their homes, which allows theelderly to stay in familiar environments.

Additional services are provided by twoactive non-government organizations, theAntigua & Barbuda Pensioners’Association, which is actively engaged indiscussions with the Government toprovide additional medical, social andfinancial benefits for the older populationand the Senior Citizens’ Association.

rising out of the SecondWorld Assembly on Ageingin 2002, the Regional

Intergovernmental Conference on Ageingfor Latin America and the Caribbean in2003, the adoption of the CaribbeanRegional Charter on Ageing in 1999 by theCaribbean Community and the CaribbeanSymposium on Population Ageing in 2004,a number of Caribbean countries havecommitted to acknowledge ageing as anissue of priority in the areas of health andsocial planning.

Over the last decade, the Governments ofthese countries have embarked onindividual and regional initiatives, toensure that each nation has the necessaryinfrastructure to deal with the dramaticchanges in demographics expected overthe next 10 to 25 years. The approach hasbeen all inclusive and holistic, focusing onthemes including intergenerationalsolidarity, employment, social security,health and well-being and social inclusion.However, given that the demographictransition varies from country to country,the degree of progress also variesconsiderably between nations.

The progress of ten of these Caribbeancountries, with respect to the developmentof policies, initiatives and theestablishment of programmes ishighlighted in this section.

Further information about the achievements ofthe countries in our online version:http://www.cepal.org/celade/envejecimiento

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COUNTRIES IN ACTION

The countries of this subregion are trying toface the demographic challenges with aninclusive and holistic approach.

Implementation of the Regional Strategy:

Caribbean stepstowards a societyfor all ages

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BARBADOS

Working for social inclusion

In 1975 Barbados became the firstCaribbean country with more than 10% ofits population being elderly. In 2001 theGovernment established the draft of theNational Policy on Ageing under theMinistry of Social Transformation and aCommittee appointed to review theproposals for submission to Cabinet.

A number of programs have since beenimplemented through the 2003Occupational Pensions Benefits Act toensure that the elderly can maintain theireconomic independence. One suchprovision is the establishment of universalpension coverage through contributoryand non-contributory pensions paid topersons aged 65 and over.

The Government has also embarked on aninitiative to provide universal health careand medication services to all people aged60 and over. Health service delivery hasbeen divided into seven program areas,two of which focus specifically on theolder population. There are also plans tocreate a program to facilitateaccommodation needs for the ill elderly.

The social inclusion of the agedpopulation is another priority area whichhas been targeted in Barbados by theconstruction of a number of recreationalcenters where the elderly can go to getinvolved in craft, exercise programmes andother social activities. In 2002 theGovernment began the construction of theVauxhall Senior Citizen Village Complexwhich will have three segments,residential, recreational and day care.

DOMINICA

Planning for the future

A National Policy on Ageing wasdeveloped and adopted by theGovernment in October 1999. The goalof the policy is to ensure that olderpersons will be provided with protection,care and opportunity to participate in thedevelopment of the nation.

The National Health Plan 2001–2005addresses the needs of the elderly overage 60 as a priority area. Included in theplan is the provision of free basic healthcare, including medication and home caredelivery, through an island-wide networkof clinics. In addition, specialist servicesin mental health and ophthalmology careare offered and routine hypertension anddiabetic tests are conducted in allcommunities.

Prior to this, since the early 1990’s, thecurriculum of the Nursing School hasincluded a module for care for the elderlyand since 1997 the Dominica Council onAgeing has been providing training forinformal community care givers.

There are a number of planned futureactivities including public awarenessprograms, development of standards ofcare and implementation of follow-up onthe Regional Strategy of the Madrid Planof Action.

COUNTRIES IN ACTION

ahamas

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A network for health

In 1999 a National Council on OlderPersons was established inacknowledgement of ageing as an issue ofpriority. The areas of health and socialplanning were of particular importancegiven that medical and social services areessential to the well being of the elderly.

A number of policies already exist in theBahamas, with more recent programmesestablished to cater to the needs of theolder population. Health care is widelyavailable through a network of communityclinics and hospitals to all persons aged60 and over. Medication is provided freeof charge to persons over age 65 atGovernment hospitals, while a 10%discount is offered to elders at severalprivate pharmacies. In addition, homehealth care is available through districtnursing services. The Government providespartial salary replacement during illness,as well as disability and death benefits.

Since 1972, all insured persons over 65years of age are entitled to retirementbenefits, and receive a pension accordingto their particular contributions. An OldAge Non-Contributory Pension in theamount of 200 dollars has been introducedto those older persons who have not madeany or sufficient contributions.

Over the last six years various private andpublic residential care and assisted livingfacilities have become available to olderpersons. The Government has sinceenacted legislation to regulate thesefacilities to ensure appropriate qualitystandards.

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JAMAICA

Productive ageing

In 1997 Jamaica became the first countryin the Caribbean region to adopt a NationalPolicy for Senior Citizens. This policyreflects the United Nations InternationalPrinciples for Older Persons, which placesemphasis on independence, participation,care, self fulfillment and dignity.

The National Council for Senior Citizensadopted a mission statement in 1997 whichpartly reads, “to meet the challenge of agrowing, healthier and more active ageingpopulation by ensuring that senior citizensare able to meet their basic human needs,that those in need are assisted and thatolder persons are protected from abuseand violence and are treated as a resourceand not as a burden...”

The Council undertakes a variety ofprogrammes and activities arranged intohealth, income security and education.Given limited resources, the strategies ofthe National Policy for Senior Citizens areimplemented though an island-widenetwork of senior citizens clubs. Loans andgrants for small enterprises, trainingprogrammes (including healthy lifestyles,managing finances and creating wills) andreferral services are provided with the aidof civil society groups.

In an effort to reduce the incidence ofpoverty among the ageing, a number ofinitiatives have been introduced. Theseinclude a reform of the Social Safety Netin 1999 and a major reform of the PensionSystem through the introduction of aNational Pension Act.

COUNTRIES IN ACTION

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ST. KITTS & NEVIS

Focus on poverty

Subsequent to the writing of a draft policyon ageing, the Government of St. Kitts andNevis has made changes to some existingpolicies and implemented new programsgeared specifically to benefit the elderly.One such change is the provision of a non-contributory assistance pension for olderpersons who have not contributed to thesocial security scheme but are in financialneed.

Universal access to health care, medicationand dental and eye care for citizens over55 years of age is provided through anetwork of clinics and health care facilities.A public facility in St. Kitts catersexclusively to the chronically ill, disabledand geriatric cases, and Nevis has a 22bed infirmary that houses psychiatricpatients and the aged poor. In addition,the Home Care Program for Older Personsassists the elderly and disabled in theirhomes with hot meals, food packages,medical assistance and social interaction. These are all a result of the Government’sefforts to ensure the elderly population isprovided with adequate health care andservices.

The Ministry of Social Development,Community and Gender Affairs has beeninstrumental in establishing the “Adoptan Older Person Program” which facilitatesinteraction and collaboration betweenolder citizens and school childrenthroughout the country.

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GUYANA

Preparing a policy

The Government of Guyana is preparing apolicy document on the elderly. Concernhas been raised on the quality of serviceoffered to the elderly and the need toaddress it in a comprehensive manner. Assuch a National Commission has beenestablished to determine the social,financial and medical needs of the ageingpopulation.

Despite the fact that Guyana still has afairly young population, many provisionsare already in place to ensure that theageing citizens are economicallyindependent and socially included. Throughthe Social Impact Amelioration Program anumber of schemes have been introducedto deal with the situation of the vulnerableand older population.

Old age pensions are provided to allpersons age 65 and over and delivered todisabled pensioners at their homes. Inaddition, limited access is available toprimary health care services including freemedication. There has also been theintroduction of the “Food for the PoorIncorporated” programme, which offersfood and other items to communities whichinclude the elderly in difficult economiccircumstances.

The extended family concept still prevailsin Guyana, through which the majority ofthe elderly are taken care of by theirfamilies. However, to cater to the rest ofthe ageing population, there has been thepromotion of senior citizens clubs andannual subventions are provided to seniorcitizens homes.

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ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES

Five year strategic plan

The Government is actively engaged informulating a National Policy on Ageingand the development of a Five YearStrategic Plan. However, already inexistence are a number of systems andservices aimed at ensuring financialstability and guaranteed health care for theolder population.

The Ministry of Social Developmentprovides a monthly financial contributionof EC $100 for persons under 65 andEC$110 for persons over 65, in addition toimmediate cash assistance, medication,help with utility bills, toiletries, food andburials, as may be required.

The National Insurance Service (NIS)provides pensions to 4,000 older persons,2,200 receiving contributory pensions and1,800 non-contributory. There are planshowever to expand this service to theinformal sector.

Free health services are provided forsufferers of infectious diseases as well asindigent and unemployed persons over 60years through the Medical Officers Act.

HelpAge International and the NationalCouncil for Older Persons (NCOP) of St.Vincent & The Grenadines are alsoconducting research on the situation ofolder persons. Their findings willcontribute to the development of theNational Policy on Ageing.

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Eight areas of action

The Draft National Policy on Ageing wasapproved in September 2004, identifyingeight priority areas for action: socialsecurity, income security, social inclusion,healthcare, housing, education, recreationand legislation. A Division of Ageing wasestablished to prepare and implement theNational Policy, emphasising community-based services, dignity, independence,education public awareness on ageing,and access to affordable healthcare forolder persons.

A Community Care Act is being developedto provide the legal framework for careand protection of the rights of olderpersons. The Homes for Older Persons Actensures the licensing, regulation andcontrol of homes for the elderly.

The Government provides old agepensions. A task force has beenestablished to review the pensionssystem.

There is universal access to health carethrough an island-wide network ofhospitals and clinics. In addition, a“Chronic Diseases Assistant Plan” hasrecently been instituted.

A Geriatric Adolescent Partnership Programand the Retiree Adolescent PartnershipProgram have been designed to encourageintergenerational solidarity.

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HelpAge International:

24 years empoweringolder Caribbean

Putting ageing at the center ofdevelopment processes, supportinglivelihoods and mitigating the effects ofnatural disasters are HelpAgeInternational’s guidelines for it’s workin the Caribbean, which started in 1982.

A key issue for the goals of theorganization is to support older peopleto advocate for their rights andinfluence the policies that affect them.For those purposes HelpAge works withlocal partners, such as the St. LuciaNational Council of and for OlderPersons, the Old People’s WelfareAssociation, in Montserrat; ExtendedCare Through Hope & Optimism (ECHO),in Grenada, and other English andFrench speaking organizations in 10countries.

Two concrete main programmes arecurrently being successfully conductedby HelpAge Caribbean. The “Oldercitizen’s monitoring project” in Jamaicasupports older persons in three poorfarming communities to allow them toexercise their right to access togovernment social-protectionprogrammes, and lobby the authoritiesfor improvements.

The Caribbean is a subregion with highrisk of natural catastrophes –hurricanes,floods, earthquakes and volcaniceruptions-, and older people areparticularly vulnerable in these extremesituations. HelpAge developed theproject “Preparing older people andtheir communities for disasters”, whichenables older persons and othercommunity members to work together,protect themselves and help others incase of natural catastrophes.

ne of the most challengingproblems faced by theLatinamerican and

Caribbean countries beginning the newmillennium is to cope with the vulnerablesituation under which a large proportionof the population lives because of thefragility of the social security systems.

With differences from one country to other–and with particularities in the English-speaking Caribbean, where social securitysystems are rather young-, low coverage,fragmentation, deficient quality, limitedaccess and the trend to rely oncontributory mechanisms –that do notaddress the extended labour informality- are common in the region. And theconsequences of it are by and large visiblethroughout the lives of the citizens,especially among the aged.

Social protection was the central issue ofthe last ECLAC Session, held in Montevideofrom March 20th to 24th. The discussionswere focused in the need of a newapproach to social protection, given thestructural changes the region isexperiencing in its age structures, labourmarkets and family dynamics, amongothers. This approach, as raised at themeeting, should be the result of a newrights-based social covenant, in whichsocial rights are seen as the normativehorizon, and existing inequalities andbudgetary restrictions are the limitingfactors to be addressed.

During the meeting, the Secretary Generallaunched the document “Shaping thefuture of social protection: access,financing and solidarity”, in which ECLAC

Montevideo:

ECLAC called theattention ofcountries on socialprotection

The last Session of the Commission was focusedon the need of a new rights-based socialcovenant.

proposes a framework of integralsolidarity that combines contributory andno contributory mechanisms and placesemphasis on an efficient use of theresources, with a view to expanding thecoverage and raising the quality ofservices, especially for the lowest-incomesectors of the population.

The need to incorporate the genderperspective in social protection policieswas also underlined in Montevideo.

The challenge for the region is to buildbridges between social rights and policyguidelines in order to make them moreenforceable through improved access,better financing and greater solidarity.On this purpose ECLAC called specialattention the reform and design of healthand pension systems, taking into

consideration the labour market dynamicsand the countries' fiscal capacities.

A number of countries have madeadvances in the right direction. Boliviaintroduced universal pensions throughthe Bonosol; Costa Rica improvedwomen’s position in the welfare systemby conferring a value to unpaid domesticwork in terms of contributions. Belize hasput in place a non-contributory pensionfor all women over 65.

These are a few evidences of themomentum that the social protectiondebate is gathering in the region. The newECLAC document and the discussionsgenerated by it in Montevideo areexpected to generate fruitful debates atthe national level.

Course in Social Gerontology(Summer Programme)Department of Behavioural Sciences ofthe University of the West IndiesTrinidad&TobagoJune-July 2006 (Registration in May 2006)Contact: Innette CambridgeImCambridge@fss.uwi.tt

Third National Forum “Toward aCulture of Healthy Ageing”Dirección de Personas Adultas Mayores,Ministerio de la Mujer y Desarrollo SocialLima, Perú. May 2006Contact: Doris Dionisioddionisio@mimdes.gob.pe

First National Conference on theRights of Older PersonsConselho Nacional dos Direitos do IdosoBrasilia, Brazil. May 2006.Contact: Jurilza Barros de Mendonçajurilza.mendonca@sedh.gov.br

Simposium “Ageing and the SocialConstruction of Age: TheoricalApproaches and Analitical-Methodological Units”52 Congreso Internacional deAmericanistasSevilla, Spain. July 17th-21st, 2006.Contact: Sandra Huenchuansandra.huenchuan@cepal.org

Gericuba 2006IV Iberoamerican Congress onGerontology and Geriatrics, V CentralAmerican and Caribbean Congress onGerontology and Geriatrics, XIIIInternational Seminar on Attention to theOlder Adult, V International Meeting ofOlder PersonsHavana, Cuba. May 2nd - 5th(simultaneous translation available)Contact:congresogericuba2006@infomed.sld.cu

In the new rights-based social covenant proposed by ECLAC,social rights should be the normative horizon.

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EVENTS

vonne O’Neill runs theWoodbrook branch of theCHOICES organization,

which is a day care and education centrefor pregnant teens and teenage mothersand their babies. But that doesn’t seem tobe enough for her free spirit, strong willand desire to maintain a youthful heartand mind. She is also Secretary of theSenior Achievers Association of Trinidadand Tobago (SAATT), a vibrant, diverse non-governmental organization of about 100retired persons, with a mission to “providea forum for members and friends toenhance the quality of their lives”.

An objective of the association is to instillin members their importance andusefulness in their community as a resultof their age and experience.

What are your main activities?

We are involved in community projectsboth locally and regionally, for example wegive a scholarship of $1,200 per term to ahigh school boy and we donated funds toHaiti and Grenada after natural disasters.We also visit other Caribbean countries,go on cruises and have ‘Know Your Country’tours. Since we receive no Governmentassistance, we hold many fund raisingactivities: tea parties, an annual carnivalparty, a market day/breakfast and bar-b-ques. In addition, at some of our monthlymeetings individuals are invited to lectureon various topics including financialmanagement, preparation of wills, heartailments and Alzheimer’s disease.

What are the critical issues on ageing inTrinidad and Tobago?

A lack of awareness that our society isageing. If people are aware of thissituation, they need to get involved. Thereare too many seniors just sitting around.I suggest that functioning groups need to

Yvonne O’Neill:

“It is necessary tomake senior groupsavailable to morepeople”Secretary Senior Achievers Association of Trinidadand Tobago says, organized elderly need to dooutreach drives to raise awareness on ageing.

“Functioning groups need to do outreach drives to religiousorganizations, community groups and public and privatecompanies in order to raise awareness at an early age”.

do outreach drives to religious organizations,community groups and public and privatecompanies in order to raise awareness atan early age, maybe 40 or 50.

If you had an audience with the PrimeMinister, what would be the mostimportant issue you would like to address?

The need for social and recreational homesfor the elderly. There should be theconstruction of senior citizen complexes,where elderly persons can go on a dailybasis to engage in social and recreationalactivities with each other. The complex can

be constructed with apartments on theupper levels, which can be rented to thoseseniors who can afford them, and thatincome can be used to offset the cost ofrunning the recreational activities. ThePrime Minister is ageing as well, he shouldrecognise the need for senior homes andallocate spaces for construction in thenorth, south and Tobago.

Do you think some older people’s failureto keep active once they retire is a functionof society?

I think it may be a loss of will or pride, ordue to illness. Some people age withillness and can not function like they usedto, so they remove themselves from activesociety.

What is your motivation for being involvedin this organization?

I retired at age 52 and after a few monthsof relaxing I decided that I did not want tosit at home doing nothing. So I joined theSAATT and also got back into the work

force through the Child Welfare League.

What importance do you see in theorganization of elderly people?

It is important to be organized to raiseageing issues. However, not enough olderpeople are involved with groups such asthe SAATT. In order to get more seniorsengaged I think it is necessary to makesenior groups available to more people.As it stands now there are a feworganizations functioning for certaincategories of people -retired teachers,civil servants and Government

pensioners-, but many more seniors whodo not fall into those categories do nothave access to an elderly group ororganization they can be a part of.

How do you evaluate the efforts of theGovernment of Trinidad and Tobago toaccomplish the goals of Madrid 2002?

The Government is looking at dealing withissues of ageing but so far not enoughhas been done. There has been theestablishment of the Division of Ageing,which has an extremely committed andhard working director, however I don’tthink Government is providing thenecessary funds and facilities for it tofunction effectively.

What advice would you give to a youngerperson to prepare for older age?

Ageing is inevitable, go to the gym, keepa fresh mind, hang around with youngpeople. Get involved in groups, do thingsthat make sense, make others aware,keep active and keep happy.

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CIVIL SOCIETY

early 60 million peopleaged 60 or over live inNorth America, possibly the

most developed region in the westernworld, with the United States and Canadamembers of the G-8, the group of the eightmost industrialized countries on the world.

The majority of North American adults havebenefited from development. The regionhas social protection systems with broadcoverage and community supportstructures that meet many of the needs ofthe elderly. However, there are vulnerablegroups which pose special challenges,such as immigrants and war veterans.

In both Canada and the United States, civilsociety is an important ally in dealing withthe question of ageing. Both countriesenjoy a tradition of civic organization, atrait which includes the elderly, who havebeen active in forming community groups.

Canada appears to be well placed to facethe process of demographic change. It hasa solid fiscal base and has set up a seriesof programmes for its elderly population.Furthermore, Canada’s pension system isone of the world’s most successful asregards the effort to avoid poverty in oldage; in fact, the number of low-incomeelderly in Canada is among the lowest ofany of the Organisation for EconomicCooperation and Development (OECD)countries. Nationwide, older Canadianshave a lower probability of receiving a lowincome than other age groups do.

The challenge for policymakers is to makeheadway in terms of health and well-being,with emphasis on vulnerable groups, suchas older people living alone, thosemanaging on low incomes and immigrants.

United States and Canada:

The benefitsand challengesof development

In North America, although most olderpeople enjoy well-being, there are vulnerablegroups needing attention.

In both Canada and the United States, civil society is an importantally in dealing with the question of ageing.

To this end, the Government establisheda National Seniors Secretariat to beresponsible for ascertaining the well-being of elderly men and women, not onlyfrom the financial point of view, but alsoas regards health, security, socialisolation and community-based support.

In the area of health, the FederalGovernment, together with the Divisionof Aging and Seniors (DAS), has takenmeasures to enhance the well-being andindependence of older persons throughthe promotion of active ageing andphysical and mental health and the

prevention of falls. On this last point, DASis cooperating with the World HealthOrganization to raise awareness of theimpact that such falls can have on olderpersons’ quality of life and independence.

Canada is endeavouring to make a globalcontribution in the design of guidelinesfor disasters and emergencies, duringwhich older people are vulnerable.

In the United States, Administration onAging, the federal organizationresponsible for older persons’ affairs, hasworked for over 40 years on maintainingthe independence of the elderly.

This line of government action has beensuccessful in offering elderly peoplecommunity-based services, promotionaland preventive health programmes andinitiatives to provide carers with servicesand support. The broad coverage andgood quality of these services are wellrated by their users.

A report prepared by the FederalInteragency Forum on Aging RelatedStatistics found that the majority of olderpersons were healthier, better educatedand enjoyed a better quality of life thantheir peers of earlier generations. Thereport did warn of inequalities, however.

For example, 76% of white non-Hispanicolder people had a complete schooleducation, but only 52% of older Afro-descendent and 35% of older Hispanicshad finished the school.

Elderly are financially better-off too.

Between 1984 and 2001, the average netincome of households headed by peopleaged over 65 increased by 82%. However,households headed by a white olderperson have an annual income five timeslarge thant the households headed by anAfro-descendent older person.

The effort to devise creative ways toimprove the situation and promote thewell-being of vulnerable groups of olderpersons is a priority being addressed byan extensive network of governmentaland non-governmental organizationsconcerned with population ageing.

Websites of interest

Division of Aging and Seniorswww.hc-sc.gc.ca/seniors-aines

National Advisory Council on Agingwww.naca-ccnta.ca/council_e.htm

Administration on Agingwww.aoa.gov

Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statisticswww.agingstats.gov

Ao

A

AGEING AROUND THE WORLD

N

0100

Northern America

200 300 400 500 600

Men Women Both

2050

2005

2025

Latin America and the Caribbean

Northern America

Northern America Latin Americaand the Caribbean

41,536,3 25,9

39,9

Life expectancy at birth

Median age

2005

2050

Fertility ratesChildren per woman

1,981,85

2,381,86

2045-2050

General

Men Women

General

Men Women

78,2 72,9

75,5 80,8 69,8 76,1

82,7 79,5

80,2 85,2 76,4 82,5

2005-2010

Proportion of Older Persons (60 +)

Population over 100 years old(in thousands)

General General

Men Women Men Women

2045-2050

2005-2010

2005 2050

2005 2050

Old-age dependency ratioNumber of persons over 65 per 100 persons in working age (14-64)

2005

2050

18 1034 29

Ageing statistics:

Two realitieson the same sideof the world

The proportion of older adults living in NorthAmerica it twice as large as in Latin Americaand the Caribbean.

AGEING AROUND THE WORLD

16,8% 27%

24,1%8,8%

0

2025

100

Latin America and the Caribbean

200 300 400 500 600

2005

2050

DIV

ISIO

N O

F AG

ING

AN

D S

ENIO

RS,

CAN

ADA

Alexandre Sidorenko:

“Talking to older personsis the essence of thebottom-up approach”

United Nations Focal Point on Ageing underlinesthe importance of participation in the reviewand appraisal process of Madrid+5.

"The mechanisms of participatory assessment mean meeting infocus groups to find out what the feelings and thinking of ordinarypeople are about the changes in their quality of life".

When the First WorldAssembly on Ageing tookplace in Vienna in 1982, Dr.

Alexandre Sidorenko had already been fouryears conducting experimental research atthe Kiev Institute of Gerontology. Thosewere the first steps of a prominent careerin the field of ageing, which included theorganization of the International Year ofOlder Persons (1999) and the Second WorldAssembly on Ageing, in Madrid (2002).

Today, as the United Nations Focal Point onAgeing, his energies are set on promotingand monitoring international policy andprogrammes on ageing, and to this pointof time, on the review and appraisalprocess, starting next year.

What’s your global evaluation four yearsafter the Second World Assembly?

It is difficult to answer this question now.The site of action in the implementation ofthe Madrid International Plan of Action onAgeing (MIPAA) are the national and locallevels; the review and appraisal exercisescheduled to begin in 2007 will show theachievements and obstacles.

Do you think there is enough awarenesson ageing in the international community?

Every United Nations organization isundertaking action on the field of ageing,within the scopes of their mandates, theirprofessional interest and qualifications.WHO is putting forward many projects,including their major policy background onactive ageing; ILO is looking in employmentin the older age; World Bank is working onthe pensions reform and providing advisoryservices to member states…

On the other side, important UNdocuments, like the MillenniumDeclaration do not mention ageing. Do yousee a contradiction in this?

There is definitely a contradiction, but also

INTER-INSTITUTIONAL GROUP ON AGEING