Dementia caregivers need stronger support, advocates say

W omen make up two of every three primary caregivers for people with dementia worldwide, while unpaid informal care accounts for about half of the condition’s global economic cost, the Barbados Alzheimer’s Association has said. The association drew attention to the burden on caregivers as Barbados joins the world in observing World Alzheimer’s Month. Lawyer and advocate Kimberley Benjamin told Barbados TODAY that people living with dementia and those caring for them both have a right to care. She said: “Care partners of persons with dementia are also generally overlooked, including in the legal rights space. Just last year, in June 2025, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights delivered a landmark ruling – Advisory Opinion AO 31/25 – that recognises the right to care as a human right.

” Kimberley Benjamin (File photo) The court identified three dimensions of the right to care: “The right to be cared for, which means that people with care needs are entitled to quality, dignified and individualised care that respects their human rights, autonomy and privacy. “The right to care for others, which requires that both paid and unpaid caregivers can provide care in decent conditions, free from discrimination, with access to health, work and social protection rights. “The right to self-care, recognising that both caregivers and care recipients need the time, space and resources to look after their own physical, mental and emotional well-being. ” The court also found that care work is a protected form of work and outlined obligations for states to support both people receiving care and caregivers. Benjamin continued: “The court emphasised that states have a duty not only to respect the right to care, but also to actively ensure its enjoyment. This includes adopting laws, policies…