Older Persons Week Ends With Call for Stronger Policies to Protect Seniors

After a week of reflection and celebration, Older Persons week ends today and perhaps there’s no better time as a country to examine how well we care for our older citizens. Part of that examination has to entail government putting proper policies and programs in place to respect and protect their rights of older persons. Ix-Chel Poot, Executive Director of the National Council on Ageing speaks of the continued contributions of our older persons to Belize.

Ix Chel Poot, Executive Director, National Council on Aging: “If we look at the care sector we find that older persons make up a huge portion of that childcare sector that allows for our working persons to be able to work and have children in a safe place. And older persons still drive a lot of our voluntary communities. They are the ones who will show up and volunteer at your cancer societies, at your Lions Clubs, at your church outreach ministries so there’s still a lot of contributions that older persons do that is often overlooked because we always assume oh they don’t have anything better to do when they are other things they could be doing.”

A New Revised Families Bill which consolidates three pieces of legislation namely, The Families and Children’s Act, The Marriage Act and The Family Court Act, will feature a new chapter for the welfare and protection of older persons.  

Ix Chel Poot, Executive Director, National Council on Aging: “It establishes their legal rights, dignity, participation, healthcare, shelter and protection from discrimination. It sets out maintenance obligations in which children and grandchildren have now a legal responsibility to maintain older persons that have cared for them throughout their life course. There is protection from abuse which includes a mandatory reporting, investigating and penalties when it comes to elder abuse and the law defines what is elder abuse. So elder abuse then becomes criminalized in the context of what would be considered abuse towards an older person which is often outside of other types of domestic violence. It establishes other things such as healthcare proxies and guardianships of older persons with diminished capacity. There is a section that speaks to home based and community based care support for independent living but also for those persons who must receive care within their home settings.”

Older Person’s week was celebrated under the theme: “Advocating for Healthy and Inclusive Ageing”./