Elder abuse spotlighted

Roberts added that the ministry had also recently launched the Community Mediation Services programmes and had planned to launch a national parenting programme which would seek to support the “rejuvenation” of healthy family life in TT.

Ronnie Boodoosingh of the Hugh Wooding Law School said according to United Nations statistics, between 1950 to 2025 the elderly will move from representing eight to 14 percent, or 1.2 billion of the world’s population. He said ageing people had several concerns such as safety, loneliness, health and health care issues, being treated with respect and courtesy, being discriminated because of age and receiving adequate income. Boodoosingh noted that the elderly have the same protection as other citizens according to the Constitution and there was a specific protection for elderly persons under the Domestic Violence Act.