Adina Donovan Home nearly full, budget “only covers basics”
The Adina Donovan Home for the Elderly in Tortola is operating at near full capacity while surviving on a budget that Health Minister Vincent Wheatley said only covers its “basic operations”.
Wheatley told the House of Assembly that the facility, which is the main government-owned residential care home for seniors in the Virgin Islands, can house up to 20 residents.
“It currently has a maximum capacity of 20 persons. At present, there are 19 residents, 11 males and 8 females,” Wheatley stated.
He explained that the budget allows the home to provide meals, staff salaries, utilities, and essential medical supplies.
“While a budget currently allocated allows for the basic operations of the home, including staff salaries, meals, special nutritional supplements, utilities, and other essential medical supplies, it is fair to state that additional resources will enhance the quality of service delivery,” Wheatley said.
The minister noted that more funding would help improve staffing levels, infrastructure, and recreational programmes for residents. He added that his ministry will continue to press for higher budgetary support and explore partnerships with the private sector to supplement funding.
The strain extends beyond the home. Wheatley reported that 30 people are currently enrolled in the government’s Home Care Service Programme, including 27 on Tortola and three on Virgin Gorda. Of these, 11 receive part-time care and 16 receive full-time care in their homes. The programme employs 15 staff members, though four posts remain vacant.
He also highlighted new initiatives to strengthen elder care, such as the launch of a Care Certificate Programme in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency and the BVI Health Services Authority. That training is now mandatory for non-regulated staff such as home care aides and patient care assistants, with the first group completing the programme in May this year.
In the meantime, Wheatley acknowledged the wider challenge of caring for an ageing population, which he described as “our golden gems.”
“As our golden gems continue to advance in age, the demands of caregiving often increase and sometimes a strain on families becomes overwhelming, requiring additional support to care for their loved ones,” he said.
The minister assured the House that his ministry is committed to ensuring seniors are treated with dignity and to expanding services. Plans include commissioning a purpose-built facility for seniors and hosting annual forums to address issues facing the elderly.
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Sorry rest of the budget paying the salaries in the HOA?
Vincent will know all about that.
Same man responsible for setting that budget no crying it’s not enough. I bet his essentials are nicely covered though.
Use some of your money to help them. Stop being greedy
hypoocrisy!!! To secretly vote and receive a salary increase for your self of over a 110% while not allocating the needed funds to care foor the those whose work you are now benefitting from is blasphemy.
Most of you went into politics to get rich without not a concern for anyone else but your bank account.
The statistics provided there illustrate where the focus and interest were not.
Unfortunately,it remains to be seen what the voting public in the ninth will do next election.
Guess they say the timing for the thievery is right since, everyone will forget about it come next election and vote them back in by a landslide. the most likely thing to happen.
People driving on a rickety road for almost 2 years, lost money on my vehicle because of the poor roads and they will rush to fix them just before elections to get yall votes again. And guess what, right back in they go…the whole band wagon.
Virgin Islanders must start using their brain power to grow up politically and begin their chosing their leaders more wisely.
As, many have become disappointed with the current leadership.
The number of senior citizens will only increase in the BVI in the next 20-30 years. So start planning now to build a new senior care facility for seniors with the space to expand to 100 seniors by 2050. The new senior care facility should built in an area near the hospital but NOT in the congested land of Road Town and NOT on reclaimed land from the sea.
.
Its no different from the darn prison that was built to house 60 inmates but now have over 100. ayo sickening.
The prison has better facilities than that home. Y’all golden gems are getting the bare minimum! It’s so sad.
The workers are overworked and underpaid. You can’t expect to say you care for the aged when you are don’t care about those who are caring for them. What kind of people do these things. You have no heart.