DESPITE THE INCREASED life expectancy of Barbadians, Sir George Alleyne is concerned that stigma and discrimination continue to plague older persons in the country.
Delivering the Errol Barrow Memorial Lecture on Monday night, Sir George, a former director of PAHO, said there was still the stereotype that older persons were less productive, less adaptable, more rigid and almost diseased. 
He argued that while aging was associated with impairment, it did not automatically lead to disability.
“Of even greater importance is the need to counteract the false doctrine that by definition, the older persons create a drain on society because of dependency. There’s evidence that instead of being a drain on the economy, they may actually be net contributors because of their productivity and the variety of services they provide,” said Sir George. (WILLCOMM)
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