Saturday, 24 July 2004 will, no doubt, be a special day for a number of Guyanese senior citizens and Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat staff as they, under the theme Remembering and Honouring the Elderly, celebrate the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Community.
On this day, in a mark of recognition of this important, yet often times forgotten section of our population, Secretariat employees, led by CARICOM Secretary-General H.E. Mr Edwin W. Carrington will share their time with and present gifts to the residents when they visit various homes for the elderly in three of Guyana's ten geographic regions. The Homes will also be the recipients of a number of needed items.
The nature of this celebration, in a way, brings into focus the issue of demographic trends in the Caribbean which, among other things, indicate an increasing population aged 65 years and over. In fact, statistics show an estimated 7.4 million people or 17 percent of total population of CARICOM Member States will be over age 60, by the year 2025.
The policy implications of an ageing population have not gone unnoticed, and the last decade has witnessed a number of regional initiatives to address the challenge of ensuring that older persons experience the quality of life necessary to maintain personal well being, including providing an opportunity to make their unique contribution to the betterment of the Region. Among these initiatives is the development of a Caribbean Charter on Health and Ageing.
The Caribbean Charter on Health and Ageing 1998 has as its guiding principle, a coordinated, systematic approach to ensuring the health and full integration of older persons in Caribbean societies and economies.
Adopted at the Second Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) in 1998, it was launched in 1999, the year in which International Day for the Elderly was celebrated. The Charter recognises the principle that “health and wellness encompass the need for preventive strategies, creation of supportive environments and the availability of senior-friendly goods and services”. It also recognises “the importance and key role being played by voluntary organisations in promoting the well being of older persons and the need for the strengthening of these institutions”.
Like the Charter, the Region's vision of health as articulated in Phase II of the Caribbean Cooperation in Health Initiative (CCH II), addresses the issue of the health of the Elderly. In this regard, CCH II identifies six health promotion strategies for implementation: These are: Healthy Public Policy; Re-Orienting Health Services; Empowering Communities; Creating Supportive Environments; Developing Personal Health Skills and Building Alliances
Among the specifics of these strategies are: developing and strengthening polices on ageing; developing a Bill of Rights in support of the elderly; sensitising health workers about the special needs of the elderly; strengthening Primary Health Care (PHC) services targetted at the elderly; establishing norms and standards for institutional care of the elderly; working with care givers to ensure that standards of care are being met; preparing adults for healthy aging; educating the elderly on ways to maintain and improve their health; and collaborating with government organisations, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the media.
This is the third time in recent years that the occasion of CARICOM's anniversary is being used to honour a sector of the Community. In 1999, tribute was paid to the Region's children when a day of activities for Guyana's children was held at the official residence of the Secretary-General. Members of the Region's civil society were honoured in 2002.
This aspect of leadership by the CARICOM Secretariat reminds of Hubert Humphrey's “moral test” of the way an institution treats the “dawn of life” (the children); the “twilight of life” (the elderly); and the “shadow of life” (the sick, disabled and the needy).
The occasion is indeed a special one and a fitting way to mark the anniversary of a movement that is committed to the well-being and development of people – a process which ultimate goal (as spelt out in its July 1973 establishing Treaty), is the enhanced quality of life for the peoples of this Region.
On the occasion of the Community's 31st anniversary, the CARICOM Secretariat is grateful for this opportunity to salute all senior citizens of Guyana, and indeed, the entire Region.
