Health and social services for seniors in Bermuda

Conclusion

Bermuda has some unique aspects to her system of care from which others can learn. One is her home resource aides whose job descriptions are open-ended—assisting in whichever way would be valuable. In this respect they are similar to Sweden’s home helpers. The concept is contrary to prevalent staffing patterns in most countries where individuals have defined and limited tasks, rather than doing all that is necessary to provide care for the individual.

Another is her own distinctive style of supportive housing to help seniors stay in the community and age in place. Cluster housing maintains the landscape while being designed for relatively barrier-free living, where services can be delivered efficiently.

Bermuda, like all countries, is recognizing the aging of its society and inquiring into how to best provide appropriate health and social care. The challenge is to incorporate knowledge gained elsewhere with its own experience to develop services which best meet the needs of Bermudian seniors. In the international dialogue on health care, others can also learn from some of Bermuda’s unique and innovative solutions.