By KEILE CAMPBELL 

and EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporters

THE Bahamas Alzheimer’s Association has urged the government to expedite regulations for elder care facilities following allegations that a resident at the Home Away From Home care facility in Grand Bahama signed over her family home to the facility’s owner under questionable circumstances.

The association also called for swift implementation of the National Dementia Plan, underscoring the importance of safeguarding vulnerable seniors from exploitation, particularly those with dementia.

“We cannot allow these vulnerable individuals to be taken advantage of, and the government must act to ensure stronger regulations are put in place,” the association stated, referring to the National Dementia Plan created in 2017 to align with the World Health Organization’s framework.

The association stressed the need for quicker local implementation to establish essential protections for residents and their families.

Meanwhile, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said the government is taking “serious steps” to address elder care. His remarks followed an investigation launched by the Ministry of Social Services into allegations of elder abuse and financial exploitation at the Home Away From Home facility, where Philippa Carey alleged that administrator Mervie Knowles obtained power of attorney over her grandmother, Ingrid Carey’s, assets and allegedly moved into her home without consent. The ministry has referred the case to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

On Friday, Knowles reportedly agreed to return the property to the family, one day after angry residents gathered outside the care facility in protest.

Dr Darville said the situation “disturbed” him, pointing to a broader trend of abandoned elderly patients, with family members increasingly leaving their loved ones at hospitals. “There are indications of a breakdown in the moral fiber of the country, where... the elderly who have contributed to our society are being abandoned by their loved ones,” he said. Dr Darville added that the government is working with social services and geriatric care facilities to “expand geriatric services” and improve the support available for elderly patients.