分类： society

As Caribbean nation Barbados moves rapidly toward becoming a super-aged society, a senior government official has publicly highlighted the crippling financial burden of long-term elderly care that is pushing some desperate families to leave their elderly relatives at public hospitals after discharge. St. Peter Member of Parliament and Minister of Labour, Social Security and the Third Sector Colin Jordan shared these insights during parliamentary debate on the proposed Older Persons (Care and Protection) Bill, drawing on both direct conversations with struggling caregivers and his own personal experience caring for his late mother.

Jordan told the House of Assembly that over the past four months, he has gained a new on-the-ground understanding of the harsh economic realities many Barbadian households face when caring for aging relatives. He cited one firsthand account from a family member who admitted to abandoning their elderly mother at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) following her medical discharge, after being caught in an impossible financial trap. If the family member stopped working to provide full-time care at home, they would lose their only source of income to cover living costs. If they stayed at their job, their salary was still too low to afford a professional in-home caregiver to take on the responsibility.

The minister was careful to emphasize that his comments are not intended to justify or normalize the abandonment of elderly people at medical facilities. Instead, he said, it is long past time for policymakers and the public to acknowledge the steep financial barrier that stands between many well-meaning families and the care their older relatives need.

Jordan drew on his own family’s experience to underscore the severity of the cost crisis, noting that he and his family were able to provide 24-hour in-home care for his mother until her passing only because he had the financial means and his mother received a sufficient pension. Without those advantages, he said, they would have been unable to deliver the level of care they wanted to give her. 24-hour professional care, he explained, comes with a prohibitively high price tag for most ordinary working households.

“For those who want to take care of their elderly parents or other relatives, there is a significant cost, and that is one that we have to come to grips with and continue to find avenues where we can provide the care that our older people need, that they deserve, that they have earned through their work and their contribution to our society,” Jordan told the chamber.

The minister also reminded fellow legislators that Barbados is on the cusp of being classified as a super-aged country, a demographic shift that makes systemic reform of elderly care infrastructure and financing an urgent priority. In an aging society, the question of how to deliver accessible, affordable high-quality care for older people becomes one of the most critical policy and social challenges a nation faces, he added. Beyond legislative changes, Jordan said the country needs a broader national conversation about the value of older Barbadians and individual and collective responsibility for caring for the aging population.

The proposed Older Persons (Care and Protection) Bill, which is currently under review by the House of Assembly, aims to update legal and institutional frameworks to better protect and care for Barbados’ growing elderly population.

A shocking act of brutal gun violence has rocked the coastal community of Lower Carlton, St James, leaving three men dead, one person injured, and an entire nation grappling with grief and renewed calls for action to end the country’s escalating wave of gun crime. In the wake of Sunday night’s fatal attack – which unfolded when armed attackers stepped out of a vehicle and opened fire on a crowd gathered at Thunder Bay Beach Bar – the Anglican Church has added its powerful voice to demands for an end to persistent gun violence plaguing the island.

In an official public statement released Tuesday, Bishop Michael Maxwell, head of the local Anglican Church, shared his profound sorrow over the senseless attack, extending heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims who are now navigating the pain of their unexpected loss. “On behalf of the entire Anglican Church, I extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families who are grieving as a result of this ruthless act of violence,” Maxwell stated.

The bishop made clear that the church is deeply troubled by the growing string of gun-related criminal incidents that have shaken communities across the country. “We are profoundly distressed by the continuing gun violence that wounds our society and diminishes the sense of safety, dignity, and respect for life that ought to characterise our communities,” he added. His remarks come as the entire nation continues to process the shock of the St James shooting, an attack that has left three families bereaved, survivors injured, and many local residents living in heightened fear of further violence.

In his address, Bishop Maxwell directed a urgent, compassionate appeal to the island’s young and middle-aged people, many of whom he says may feel pushed toward illegal activity as a way to cope with increasingly difficult economic and social circumstances. “We once again appeal, especially to our young and middle-aged persons who may feel that violence or illegal activity is the only means of survival in these increasingly difficult times,” he said. “We urge them to allow us to work alongside them in identifying and building more lifegiving alternatives – pathways that enable all of us to live peacefully on our island.”

The Anglican Church, Maxwell emphasized, remains fully committed to expanding practical, on-the-ground initiatives designed to support young people whose lives have been shaped by challenging hardship. “Through mentorship, sports, music, and other developmental programmes, we seek to equip them with the values, skills, and support necessary to make life affirming choices and to access opportunities for meaningful employment,” he explained.

Moving forward, the church plans to ramp up these efforts over the coming year, working in close partnership with local community organizations to create sustainable, viable pathways for personal growth. The goal, Maxwell said, is to give young people the tools they need to build dignified, purpose-driven lives without feeling forced to turn to illegal activity to make ends meet. Beyond programmatic work, the bishop confirmed that the church will continue to hold all those affected by gun violence, and the entire nation, in prayer as the country works through this period of deep trouble. “Our church will also continue to hold in prayer all those who have been affected, and our nation as a whole, as we journey through these deeply troubling times,” he said.

For the second consecutive year, CIBC Caribbean has launched a regional search to shine a spotlight on unrecognized community changemakers across its 10-country service area, announcing a significant increase in prize rewards for this cycle’s top contenders.

The Unsung Heroes programme, a flagship community outreach initiative of the bank’s charitable arm the CIBC Caribbean ComTrust Foundation, was first revived in 2025 after a decade-long pause. In its relaunch year, the campaign drew 39 nominations from individuals working across a wide spectrum of community service sectors.

Mark St Hill, Chief Executive Officer of CIBC Caribbean and Chair of the CIBC Caribbean ComTrust Foundation, highlighted that the 2025 relaunch exceeded all expectations, generating widespread positive engagement across the region. “Last year’s return of the Unsung Heroes Programme was a resounding success, and we are anticipating an even more meaningful, far-reaching campaign this year as we seek out and honor the people who quietly lift up their local communities every day,” St Hill shared in an official statement.

He went on to reflect on the 2025 cohort of honorees, noting that beyond the top three regional winners – 2025 Regional Unsung Hero Lucinda Mini Smith of the British Virgin Islands, first runner-up Venetta Zakers of St Kitts and Nevis, and second runner-up Joshuanette Francis of Antigua and Barbuda – the programme elevated the work of dozens of national unsung heroes active in causes ranging from environmental conservation, mentorship for at-risk youth and support for vulnerable women, to food access for unhoused populations and care for elderly and marginalized community members.

St Hill emphasized that the contributions of quiet community advocates cannot be quantified, but the bank sought to provide tangible recognition of their impact by boosting prize allocations for 2026. The 2026 Regional Unsung Hero will receive a $10,000 USD reward – double the top prize from last year’s cycle. First runner-up prize money has jumped from $3,000 USD to $7,000 USD, while the second runner-up award has increased from $1,500 USD to $5,000 USD.

Eligibility for the 2026 campaign is open to any person aged 10 years or older who has made a sustained positive impact in their community and has not previously received major public recognition or rewards for their work. Nominations can be submitted in two categories: outstanding long-term community service, and extraordinary acts of heroism, bravery, or exceptional kindness carried out within the 12 months leading up to the 2026 campaign launch.

The nomination window will run from April 1 through July 31, 2026. Local national winners will be selected from the nominee pool and announced in August, with all national honorees automatically advancing to consideration for the regional awards. Regional winners will be revealed by the end of August 2026. In September, the top three regional recipients and each of their guests will travel to Barbados for a dedicated awards ceremony to celebrate their work and present their prizes. Additionally, a $1,000 USD special prize will be awarded to the person who nominates the 2026 Regional Unsung Hero. Full details about the programme and nomination instructions are available on CIBC Caribbean’s official website at CIBCCaribbean.com.

A thick fog of sorrow and stunned disbelief has settled over the tight-knit Lower Carlton community in Barbados, as locals grapple to process a devastating mass shooting that unfolded Sunday evening at Thunder Bay. The violence has left three men dead, countless families fractured, and a once-peaceful neighborhood grappling with unthinkable loss.

The three victims have been identified as 34-year-old Jamar Leon Edwards, a resident of 4th Avenue, Lower Carlton, St James; 33-year-old Lyle Anderson Robinson, of 1st Avenue, Lower Carlton, St James; and 33-year-old Jamar Kareem Ramsey, who lived in Brownes Gap, Sargeants Village Christ Church. Emergency and law enforcement responders were alerted to the shooting at approximately 8:42 p.m., where they found the three men fatally wounded.

Close family members of the deceased remain too overwhelmed by grief to speak publicly about the tragedy, but neighbors and long-term residents have shared harrowing accounts of the night that has left a permanent mark on their community. One Lower Carlton resident, who asked to remain unnamed, recalled the sudden, violent end to an otherwise quiet Sunday evening, when a rapid barrage of gunfire ripped through the neighborhood’s calm.

“I was in my bed with a headache and I heard about what could be 30-something shots,” she told local outlet Barbados TODAY. “My son come and said to me, ‘Mommy, you hear them?’ I said, ‘Get down. All you’re going to do is get down.’”

The resident described an unsettling, eerie hush that descended over the area immediately after the shooting, broken only by the desperate, distressing sounds of screams echoing from the direction of the beach. “It was terrifying, to be honest. When I look outside, outside was still… you didn’t know what was going on until probably 15 minutes after,” she added.

Neighbors who knew Robinson and Edwards for their entire lives remembered the pair as beloved, familiar fixtures of the Lower Carlton area. One local woman shared that she had watched all three victims grow up from young children in the neighborhood, saying she had never had any conflict with any of the men.

“These are children that I see raise as small children. He (Lyle) and Jamar… they were fun people. I come out, I talk with them, we laugh, we make jokes, we party together. I can’t say anything bad about them,” she said.

In the wake of the deadly attack, long-simmering concerns about the growing flow of high-powered weapons into Barbados and insufficient deterrence for gun-related violence have boiled over into widespread frustration among community members. One Lower Carlton resident pointed out that the threat of gun violence touches every member of the community, particularly families with children.

“They said years ago, if you get caught with [a gun], you will get 25 years. That ain’t happening. That needs to be put in place,” the resident said, echoing a widespread demand for stricter enforcement of existing gun control legislation.

Across Lower Carlton, residents expressed growing alarm at how the nature of crime on the island has shifted in recent decades. “Years ago, you used to hear about a .22… now they gone for bigger things and bigger things,” one local man noted, adding that even with regular law enforcement arrests for firearms possession, high-powered weapons have become alarmingly accessible. “Every boy like them got a gun. It’s real serious.”

As the community begins the slow, painful process of healing from the tragedy, elder residents have issued an urgent plea for an end to violent conflict across the island. “They could solve their problems in a different way,” one long-time resident urged. “We need to come together and find a solution and try to talk them out. Parents are the ones grieving each and every day. Tell the boys, the girls, remember who they’re leaving behind… the people they leave behind are the ones who feel it the most.”

When Barbados TODAY visited Ramsey’s home community in Browne’s Gap, a small group of young men gathered at the property declined to speak on the record about the shooting. Other local residents also declined to comment on the incident.

Law enforcement officials confirmed that investigations into the mass shooting are still ongoing, and have not yet released further details about suspects or motives for the attack as they work through evidence.