underscored the Government's commitment to strengthening community-based healthcare for older Jamaicans as he delivered the keynote address on the opening day of a Training of Trainers Workshop for Home Visits of Older Adults for Geriatric Health held recently in collaboration with the Mona Ageing & Wellness Centre, IDB and the University of the West Indies, Mona.

The workshop brought together Public Health Nurses, Community Health Aides and other healthcare professionals to build capacity for delivering comprehensive home-based geriatric care, with a focus on early intervention, prevention and improving the quality of life of older adults.

Addressing participants, Dr. Tufton emphasized that healthy ageing is both a health and national development priority, noting that approximately 375,000 Jamaicans are now 60 years and older, making them the fastest-growing segment of the population. By 2030, that number is expected to reach almost 400,000, underscoring the need for a more responsive and community-centred model of care.

"Healthy ageing is about much more than treating disease. It is about enabling older persons to remain active, independent and connected to their families and communities for as long as possible," the Minister said.

He outlined the Ministry's Healthy Ageing focus, which is built on the principle that strong families and strong communities create healthier older adults, “As I have announced some key initiatives of Healthy Ageing will include the introduction of pilot Geriatric Clinics in St. Ann and St. Catherine, the expansion of structured home-based care services led by Community Health Aides and supervised by Public Health Nurses, and specialized training to help healthcare workers identify early signs of illness, functional decline, caregiver stress and social isolation”, added Dr. Tufton.

The Minister also highlighted the importance of strengthening partnerships with the Ministry of Labour & Social Security, the National Council for Senior Citizens, local authorities, faith-based organizations and community groups to create an integrated support network that promotes ageing in place and allows older Jamaicans to live safely and independently in their own homes.

Dr. Tufton encouraged participants to embrace their role as champions of healthy ageing, noting that every home visit provides an opportunity to identify health risks early, prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, support family caregivers and strengthen the connection between the healthcare system and the communities it serves.

"The success of our healthcare system will not be measured only by the number of clinics we build or programmes we launch, but by whether our older citizens are able to age with dignity, independence and the support of families and communities that care," he said.

The two-day workshop, forms part of the Health Ageing component of the Ministry's Community Arranged Response Efforts (CARE) Agenda announced by Dr. Tufton during his recent sectoral presentation in Parliament in May of this year.