LTCcovid Country Profile – Printable Version
1.00. Brief overview of the Long-Term Care system
There is relatively little published information on the long-term are system in Jamaica. An article that set out to map long-term care in Jamaica found that care is largely provided by informal carers (both unpaid and paid). There is a high prevalence of unregulated care homes and limited formal home and community-based services. NGOs and places of worship are an important part of the few community-based services available (Goviat et al., 2021).
References:
Govia I, Robinson JN, Amour R, Stubbs M, Lorenz-Dant K, Comas-Herrera A, Knapp M. Mapping Long-Term Care in Jamaica: Addressing an Ageing Population. Sustainability. 2021; 13(14):8101. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13148101
Update for: Jamaica Last updated: February 16th, 2022
2.07. Impacts of the pandemic on unpaid carers
At the beginning of the pandemic, when there were curfews in place, the list of people exempt from the curfew did not include unpaid carers or paid home care workers, it is expected that this forced some caregivers to have made life changes in order to continue providing care (for example moving in together).
The loss of routine activities may have resulted in loss of the social and practical support that many carers rely on, for example through church activities.
The banning of visitors to long-term care facilities may have also affected the ability of carers to provide adequate supplies of medication and toiletries, as well as emotional support to their relatives.
Update for: Jamaica Last updated: January 2nd, 2022