NATIONAL MACHINERIES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF
THE BRASILIA DECLARATION
A
AN OVERVIEW ON THE MAIN ADVANCES IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO REGARDING THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BRASILIA DECLARATION, AND IDENTIFYING KEY ACTIONS
Jennifer Rouse (Ph.D.)
Director, Division of Ageing
Ministry of the People and Social Development
Third Regional Intergovernmental Conference on Ageing in Latin America and the Caribbean
Held in San Jose, Costa Rica
8 - 11 May, 2012
Research
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Research Unit within the Division of Ageing:
Evaluates programmes of the Division
 Maintains databases on newspaper articles & Centenarians
 Examines socio-demographic trends
 Supports researchers through its Reference Library &
sample frames – survey of living conditions of seniors in T’go
 Provides templates on needs assessments & proposal writing
for NGOs, CBOs, FBOs in establishing Homes & care
facilities for seniors
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Research (cont’d)
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In 2009, presentation at CARAIFA’s 21st Sales Congress in Tobago on
“Tsunami – Demographic trends and their financial implications”
In 2010, research paper at WASD 8th Int’l Conference in St. Lucia on
“The Dynamics & Consequences of Population Ageing in T&T: A call
for responsible planning for sustainable development” was included in
the curriculum for the CAPE students (equivalent to Freshman level)
In 2011, comprehensive paper submitted to the UN as the gov’t
response to the “Realization of the Right to Health of Older Persons”
Midterm research project/paper of the Social Gerontology course
at the University of the West Indies – the best are submitted to CHRC
for prizes/publication
The annual Senior Citizens Parliament debates televised motions
which are researched by the participants
Human Resource Training
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The UWI Faculty of Medical Sciences introduced MSc programme
in Palliative Care in collaboration with the Palliative Care Division
of the University of Toronto
Retirement Planning Seminars are hosted by public/private sectors
Min. of Health est. Health Sector Human Resource Planning & Dev.
Unit to develop 10-yr Manpower Plan, build sustained cadre of
HR for Health, & recruit specialized foreign nurses/medical doctors
Min. of Comm. Dev. commissioned Graduate School of Business to
design programme in leadership for community officers who
engage in customer service roles with the elderly, youth & NGOs
TTRNA – careers in nursing and geriatric care services in schools
Sensitization seminars conducted by DOA for Social Welfare Mgrs
& Supvrs to enhance customer service toward the elderly/indigent
Public Policies
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National Policy on Persons with Disabilities – launched in 2006 to
address disability/infirm elders from a human rights perspective
National Policy on Ageing – launched in 2007 with 12 priority
areas of action to guide/frame Nat’l Plan of Action on Ageing
Draft National Gender Policy – being finalized re: role of
women in care-giving & health economic issues of older women
National Policy on the Family – being formulated to address
elderly in context of the family
Utilities Assistance Policy – launched in 2011 to provide reduced
water/electricity rates for the poor, elderly and disabled
Legal Protection
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Proclamation signed by POS City Mayor in observance of WEAAD
Significant number of women could be left out of pension schemes
due to over-representation in the informal sector
Ageism and mandatory retirement age of 60-65 yrs fosters social
exclusion – trade unions collaborating with DOA
Elderly not recognized as a group under the Constitution of T&T,
but have the same protection as all other citizens
Age-friendly health centres established by Ministry of Health
Homes for Older Persons legislation to control, monitor & regulate
Homes and care facilities for the aged awaits proclamation
Omnibus legislation required to protect elderly in the community
Key Actions (for next 5 yrs)
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Explore intergenerational approaches such as volunteerism for
school-aged children at Homes and care facilities for the elderly;
& training in homecare services for the able-bodied “young-old”
Expansion of the Division of Ageing competencies & branding Unit
Use of novel/diverse cultural approaches such as folklore in public
education campaign to promote positive imaging of ageing
Promote strengthening of family care to highlight the impact of
changing family structures on the elderly
Accreditation and standardization of care-giving training courses
at local/regional educational institutions
Institutional strengthening of agencies impacting the ageing
population via training, legislative enforcement, and deployment
of financial, human and material resources for discharge
Key Actions (cont’d)
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Advocacy through community caravans & expert panel discussions
to include older persons/ageing issues in parallel policy initiatives
Mandate small & medium-sized NGOs to participate in free
courses in marketing, technical writing, computer literacy, accounts
Establishment of Policy Implementation Unit (combine the resources
of research/project mgmt/M&E) in DOA to serve as a “think-tank”
More collaborative response to elder abuse cases reported via
hotline between DOA & T&T Coalition against Domestic Violence
Revamping of the Senior Citizens Bureau to utilize skills/expertise
of older persons via website/online database managed by NGO,
to link seniors with local & CSME employment opportunities
Key Actions (cont’d)
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Establishment of model Assisted Living Facility (returning migrants)
to be built in north, south & central Trinidad between the years
2015 and 2017
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Establishment of Residential Long-term Care Facilities
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Establish an Elderly and Disabled Mobile Transport (ELDAMO)
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Establish Adult Day Care Services Programme to meet demand
Challenges
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Other competing social issues on the national agenda such as
crime, poverty, narco-trafficking & HIV/AIDS
Recruitment of staff difficult due to inadequate remuneration pkgs
Dearth of research institutions results in tardy & inaccurate data
CSO is beset with lack of funding, inadequate staffing/resources
Single source of demographic data is Population/Housing Census
every 10 yrs, thus creating “structural lag” in ageing response
Resultant over-reliance on foreign data sources which
approximate trends & lack cultural determinism
Insufficient networking between line Ministries – “silo syndrome”
The “graying” of the national budget to approx. 4% of GDP
Conclusion
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Research/M&E must be the driver of programmes
NPAA to mainstream ageing across national policies
Advocacy with interest groups to ensure buy-in
Branding of the Division of Ageing
Older persons must be seen as a resource instead
of a burden on state resources
Intergenerational approaches must be culturesensitive to capture plurality of T&T
THANK
YOU!