Health Ministry to Meet With Potential Investors in Long Term Residential Care

By the year 2030, the number of people over the age of 65 will increase from 11 percent to 22 percent of Bermuda’s population when the media age is projected to increase from 37 to 43.

The latest projections on Bermuda’s fastest growing segment of the community is the key driving force behind the Health Ministry’s multi-year reform strategy.

A spokesperson said: “The future healthcare needs of our community are being determined by changes in disease patterns and the demographic shift in our ageing population.

“The goal is to deliver affordable, sustainable, quality healthcare for all of Bermuda’s residents.”

Listed as Goal Seven, the Long Term Care Action Plan addresses the “quality and quantity of care needs, the development of healthcare staff for long term care and educating the public about long term care issues”.

“This is a critical time for Bermuda; the Ministry is working toward meeting the growing needs of Bermuda’s seniors and people with physical, cognitive or mental disabilities, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease,” the spokesperson said.

“The provision of residential long term care services is expensive, and the development of additional capacity and bed space is even more expensive.

“The Ministry recognizes this but is also aware that the Government has limited capital resources to direct to the development of additional residential long term care capacity. However, as has been done with other sectors of Bermuda’s economy, the Government may be in a position to provide incentives to encourage investment by the private sector in new residential long term care. While Government guarantees or financial backing are not an option, other incentives are being considered.

“With this in mind, the Ministry has invited potential investors to a round table discussion on the barriers to investment that they may have encountered. The focus of the conversation will be on what can be done by Government to promote investment in current and new facilities to expand the inventory of residences, activities and day services available to Bermuda’s seniors and disabled persons.”