ST ANDREW, Jamaica — As the number of older adults in Jamaica continues to rise at an accelerated pace, caregiving has become a growing national concern that requires urgent attention from families, health systems, and policymakers.

This message was underscored at The Caregiver Masterclass: Empowering Families for Senior Well-Being, hosted by Golden Designs on November 22 at Regardless, The Manley Centre in St Andrew.

Programme Development Officer within the Family Health Unit at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr Kemisha Shaw-Kelly delivered the keynote presentation titled Caregiving in an Ageing Population. She noted that Jamaica’s older adult population, persons aged 60 and over, is expanding at approximately 1.9 per cent annually, rising from just over 264,000 persons in 2001 to a projected 364,200 by 2030.

“If the trajectory remains the same, by 2058 the older adult population is predicted to be larger than the young,” she stated. This demographic shift has significant implications for health services, the labour force, national productivity, and family structures. “Caregiving is a critical aspect of supporting an ageing population,” she said.

A caregiver is someone who tends to the needs of a person who has short or long-term limitations due to illness, injury, or disability. Many of these caregivers are family members, and most are unpaid. Shaw-Kelly emphasised that while caregiving can lead to positive outcomes such as increased purpose, personal growth, strengthened family ties, and greater compassion, the pressures are often intense. Caregivers are also at high risk of physical exhaustion, mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression, financial strain, and social isolation.

“Remember, if you are unwell you cannot take care of your loved one,” she reminded attendees. “You have to ensure that you are good”.

Her recommendations included careful planning, using organisational tools for appointments and medications, maintaining supportive friendships, regular exercise, balanced nutrition, learning new skills, and taking breaks at least once per week.

For his part, Social Gerontologist Dr Julian McKoy Davis, echoed the concerns about caregiver fatigue, highlighting that caregiving can be so demanding that in some cases “the caregiver dies before the care recipient”.

She pointed to the increasing reality of the “Sandwich Generation”, who are simultaneously responsible for ageing parents, adolescent children, grandchildren, or even adult children living with illnesses. These overlapping responsibilities amplify financial, emotional, and time pressures.

To preserve caregiver well-being, McKoy Davis strongly advocated for respite support. “Respite care provides short-term, temporary care services for a person with a disability or chronic illness that gives their regular caregiver a break,” she said. “This break can be a few hours, a day, or even a few weeks, and the care can be provided in the home, at an adult day centre, or at a residential facility.”

She emphasised that taking breaks is not a luxury, it is essential to sustaining the caregiver’s health and the quality of care provided.

Shaw-Kelly also encouraged caregivers to access existing government resources, such as services from the National Council for Senior Citizens and the Mental Health Hotline offered by the health ministry.

The masterclass was held in observance of National Caregivers Awareness Month, recognised each November. The initiative forms part of Golden Designs’ commitment to improve the ageing experience in Jamaica by equipping caregivers, both paid and unpaid, with knowledge, practical tools, and emotional support.