BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC)  A senior government minister on Monday said that by 2025, at least 20.4 percent of Barbados’s population will consist of older persons. Social Care Minister Steven Blackett, believes this will present many socio-economic issues for the island.

Blackett, speaking at the National Societal Consultation, said that the number of people aged 60 and over was growing at an accelerated rate in comparison with other age groups, and presented issues that could not be ignored at the individual, family, organizational, and societal level.

“Population aging is occurring in the context of a challenging economic climate, changing family structures, and the growing burden of chronic, non-communicable diseases and their attendant complications. The social environment can create a setting which increases the vulnerability of older persons and undermines social protection for this population,” he said.

He said also that the elderly had weak social linkages and were socially excluded and isolated, which increased their susceptibility to elder abuse an issue he admitted has been receiving publicity and generating a “strident public response”.

However, Blackett pointed out that the National Policy on Ageing, which was passed in Parliament in 2013, examined the status of older persons and would, over the next 10 years, aim to remove existing barriers that might hinder the participation of older persons in mainstream society.

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Barbados is not growing rapidly, but it is growing. By 2025, it is expected to break past 300,000 for the first time. From there it’s projected to level off until the end of the century. Estimate as of Feb 20, 2021: our population is at 287,618.00

What is the significance of the year 2025?

"The present cycle (1945-2025)  is called technically "The Stage of the Forerunner". It is preparatory in nature, testing in its methods, 
and intended to be revelatory in its techniques and results."

The years 2014, 2019, 2023, and 2025 would require our special focus as years of special opportunities for intergroup cooperation in joint service to humanity.

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