From left: Pastor Victor Roach, Ernest Batson, Alphea Wiggins Rock, Maria Asgill

 At a recent press conference held at the main office in Collymore Rock, BARP President Ernest Batson pledged the Association’s support for the ban on smoking in public places due to come into effect on October 1^st 2010. He added that BARP was concerned with the unhealthy lifestyle choices which had crept into the lives of Barbadians and that despite being a long time in coming, the ban was a huge step in helping to improve the overall health of persons living in Barbados.

“We would like to use this opportunity to commend those who supported the ban and who realised that it was a healthy choice issue, particu­larly for the second-hand smokers because they can decide not to smoke but they can’t stop breathing, and if people around them are smoking, then they have to inhale it as well.

He added that smoking contributes to complications from illnesses such as asthma and cancer and this increases the nation’s health care bill.”

Present at the conference was also ant-smoking campaigner Pastor Victor Roach, who thanked BARP for their support and encouraged the Association to do all it could to ensure these and other health related campaigns were upheld.

Former Matron at QEH, Director of BARP, member of the BARP Health Committee and also the National Advisory Committee on Ageing, Maria Asgill said BARP wants to see Barbados no longer regarded as the “amputation capital of the world”, and is urg­ing elderly people to seek medical assis­tance as early as possible, especially those with diabetes.  “Too many people discover an ulcer on their leg and put all sorts of things on it and so by the time they get to the hospital, there are only two things that can be done, either let the person die or amputate their leg.”  Ms. Asgill went on to say that the elderly must keep appointments with their doctors and clinics and take their medication regularly as prescribed.  She announced that the BARP Health Committee has plans to increase the level of health education within the age cohort and promote prevention as preferable to cure.

On the subject of prevention, BARP Executive Manager, Alphea Wiggins-Rock said that BARP is very interested in promoting the idea of gyms specifically designed to cater for the elderly.  She pointed out that the idea is already prominent in the USA, and that it would promote and encourage healthier lifestyle practices amongst the island’s elderly population.  Ms. Wiggins Rock also agreed on the importance of promoting preventative measures, noting that it was important to address issues earlier rather than later.  “In Barbados, we seem to be in a reactive mode where circumstances are concerned and I think we have to concentrate a lot more on the prevention aspect and be more proactive. We have to look at our diet and our exercise and so on.”

The monthly BARP Column in the Advocate newspaper in the last weekend in August focused on these issues and more.  If you missed it, you can find it and all the previous columns in the adjacent news story on the main News page.