The Minister of Health and Seniors

The Hon. Jeanne Atherden, CA, CPA, JP, MP,

On Saturday, 3 December 2016, 9:00 am

at Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute

It is a distinct pleasure to be here to open and participate in the first ever symposium on long term care in Bermuda.

The Ministry of Health and Seniors is implementing its multi-year strategy to reform the health system: the Bermuda Health Strategy and Action Plan. Our goal is to deliver affordable, sustainable, quality healthcare for all of Bermuda’s residents.

The future healthcare needs of our community are being determined by the changes we see in disease patterns and the demographic shift to an ageing population.

This is a critical time for Bermuda; we need to plan now for a healthier future and one that looks after the most vulnerable members of our society. To me, this is the measure of a caring and sophisticated society.

We need to meet the needs of Bermuda’s seniors and people with physical, cognitive or mental disabilities as well as persons living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Put simply, there are more seniors than there have ever been, and our people are getting sick with lifestyle-related diseases at a younger age.  This double demand will put considerable strain on our heath care workforce, on families and on finances.

The purpose of today’s symposium is to present the one-year Long Term Care Action Plan, under the Bermuda Health Strategy 2014 – 2019. The Long Term Care Action Plan addresses Goal 7 of the Bermuda Health Strategy, and looks at quality of care, the development of staff and carers for long-term care roles, and educating the families, healthcare providers and the public about long-term care issues.

Measures in the recent Throne Speech, such as incentives for the private sector in terms of creating solutions for long-term care facilities, and strategies to allow seniors to age in place, complement the vision of the Health Strategy and the Long Term Care Action Plan, as we believe this is has to be whole-community endeavour in which families and the private sector have crucial roles.

But I want to be very clear that this is a plan for what we suggest we can achieve in one year.

This 12-month plan will also form the foundation of a more comprehensive plan that has a longer timeframe. While we move ahead and implement our 12-month plan, we will be formulating a multi-year, long-term care plan.

This symposium will explain the background, outline the actions planned, invite feedback and provide next steps. Today, we aim to discuss the action plan with you—the key stakeholders—to seek feedback and endorsement prior to finalizing and publishing it. Today we want to hear your comments so we can make adjustments based on the information you give us.

This year’s Throne Speech made the health of Bermudians a top priority. This focus is necessary and perhaps even overdue. We are facing a healthcare crisis as we age and our birth rate falls. My government believes that long-term care must be available to all, not just the wealthy.

Healthcare touches everyone, the young and old, the healthy and the sick, the haves and the have nots. This is a day where my title…Minister of Health and Seniors…is absolutely fitting. I believe we need to work together to create a sustainable plan to care for those who are ageing and those who have health challenges…physical, mental or cognitive.

Please be as direct as you can be with your input. This is a place for open dialogue and thoughtful observation. All of you in this room are involved in the provision of long term care, or have a stake in it as a carer or user of these services.

There can be no more important work than making sure we care for those who need our support. I want to thank you for participating and look forward to hearing what you think we can achieve.

Thank you.