Growing Older Should Not Mean Growing Isolated

They helped build families, communities and the country itself. Today, senior citizens from across Belize took center stage at Digi Park for a flagship Elderly Week celebration. The gathering brought older Belizeans together for a day of entertainment, fellowship and recognition, while reminding the country that growing older should not mean becoming isolated or overlooked. Organizers used the occasion to honor seniors for their lifelong contributions and highlight the support they need to remain healthy, engaged and connected throughout their later years.

 

Ivorine Bulwer,  Executive Director, Helpage Belize

“We’re celebrating this year under the theme, The Age of Longevity: Rethinking System for Better Lives. And that says a lot, and it speaks to our population aging. We’re seeing the Belizean, the male population ex- life of expectancy at seventy-one years, the female seventy-six years, and that says a lot. So you’re talking about aging, we’re talking about systems that should be in place to ensure that our older generation lives longer lives and healthier lives. And you’re talking about systems of healthcare, the access, the quality, the affordability. Those are critically important to older persons.”

 

Ix-Chel Poot, Director, National Council on Aging

“Latin America and the Caribbean have the highest rate of population aging around the world and in Belize, we’re seeing an increase in our older person population. In 2010, it was about twelve hundred Belizeans becoming sixty and older every year. Now it is closer to fifteen hundred and this indicates that we are aging as a society. Activities like the one being hosted today are essential because aging is a process where we think about providing services, but it’s also a process where we have to ensure that our older persons are able to enjoy the community.”

 

 Carmen Barrow, Chair, HelpAge Belize, Belize City Branch

“So we have about seven different groups that will be represented out here this morning, and this year we made the decision that we are going to entertain ourselves. So we’re not gonna get somebody from outside to come and do the entertainment for us. Each group is going to do a presentation. Isn’t that wonderful?”

 

Today’s gathering brought senior citizens from across Belize City together in celebration, capping off a week dedicated to recognizing the value of older persons in Belizean society.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

Watch the full newscast here: