The tireless work Pamelia Brereton has dedicated to creating awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in Barbados will not be forgotten.
Since its inception in the 1990s, Pamelia was the driving force behind the Barbados Alzheimer’s Association. In fact, it was she who founded the association out of necessity, after her mother and uncle were both diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and she found herself their primary caregiver.
She was President of the Association until she passed away on August 29, this year, at the age of 76.
After realising there was a dearth of information on the disease in Barbados and resources were scarce for those with the condition, Pamelia decided that she would be the change and instead of throwing her hands up in frustration, started the association to help educate herself and others.
Being the caregiver to two persons with dementia was an overwhelming undertaking. Pamelia, who migrated to Canada when she was 12 years old, returned to Barbados at the age of 45, after a career in fashion and the arts.
She developed a love for teaching children with special needs and started her teaching career at Leacock’s Private School, in St. Peter, utilising her background in the arts. She received her professional qualifications from the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College.
Her daughter, Melisa Anderson, the younger of her two children, recalled what it was like for her mum to navigate the new, and oftentimes scary territory of caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s.
“My grandmother developed Alzheimer’s, and my mom was just really not understanding the illness and struggling immensely to take care of her. And then her brother, my great uncle, he got it as well. So, she was in the house with two people with Alzheimer’s and still trying to go to work during the day too, at the school. And so, it was very overwhelming for her just looking for, you know, some sort of guidance and support,” Melisa recalled.
The turning point came when Pamelia had to return to Canada with her mother so she could get the care she needed since it wasn’t available in Barbados at the time.
Frustrated, she reached out to the Psychiatric Hospital for help. It was the then psychiatrist at the hospital Dr. Ermine Belle, now retired, who suggested she start an association for Alzheimer’s since there wasn’t one. And the rest, as they say, is history.
She began the association on a very small scale at first and, over the years, it grew to the point where she decided to leave the teaching profession and dedicate herself full-time to advocacy for Alzheimer’s and dementia.
“She really threw herself into the role as the President of the Barbados Alzheimer’s Association. It consumed her for lack of a better word. She was very, very devoted towards it. I mean, right up to her final days on the planet where I’m listening to her, you know, taking calls and speaking with people and supporting individuals who are struggling at home when she was not well herself, but she was still trying to help these people who were struggling,” said Melisa.
The knowledge Pamelia amassed working as a proponent for Alzheimer’s helped her to cope and respond much better when her brother was also diagnosed with the condition when he was in his 50s. While Alzheimer’s seems to run in the family, Melisa disclosed that her mother was spared from developing the condition.
She said her mother’s wish was to see more awareness on Alzheimer’s as well as compassion for the elderly. Melisa added that her mother would have wanted to see mechanisms or programmes put in place to protect the elderly from abuse. While Pamelia’s work with numerous organisations succeeded in shining a spotlight on dementia, Melisa believes she would have wanted to do more.
“Her dream was to have a daycare for the elderly opened in Barbados. The Association was looking to have a daycare that was specifically for those struggling with dementia, as their needs are different than someone who may be physically not capable. So, I know that’s what the long-term goal and dream was, but unfortunately, that was not completed in her time here. But I think she should be proud of herself that she started the course to achieving that,” shared Melisa.
“She really threw herself into the role as the President of the Barbados Alzheimer’s Association. It consumed her for lack of a better word. She was very, very devoted towards it. I mean, right up to her final days on the planet where I’m listening to her, you know, taking calls and speaking with people and supporting individuals who are struggling at home when she was not well herself, but she was still trying to help these people who were struggling.”
Pamelia Brereton’s daughter, Melisa Anderson
She added: “I think the work I have seen her do with children and the elderly…it has just made me attempt to be compassionate to people and caring to people in different situations.”
Dr. Belle, who is a past Vice President of the Barbados Alzheimer’s Association, recalled its early days.
“We established a small steering committee, and this steering committee addressed what we thought were the immediate needs of the Association, and the most immediate need we focused on was education, letting people know what Alzheimer’s disease was; that it is a dementia, the most common form of dementia,” stated Dr. Belle.
She explained that the public did not have a proper understanding of Alzheimer’s and branded elderly persons who walked around talking to themselves or who wandered away from home, as having the condition. Some of these behaviours could be caused by other illnesses, she pointed out.
“Most Barbadians did not know what Alzheimer’s disease was; that it was an ageing of brain cells, which resulted in people not behaving as appropriately as one would want them to, losing their memories and not being able to meet their needs, from a point of view of their daily needs, their living needs, and also not to sometimes behave appropriately in various settings. So, we set out to do educational programmes,” the retired psychiatrist said.
The Association, which became a registered charity in 2007, held seminars, engaged schools and worked with government entities, such as the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the National Assistance Board, as well as non-governmental organisations to spread awareness.
It partnered with the Central Bank of Barbados to hold the ‘One Cent Drive’ aimed at raising funds for the yet-to-be-realised elderly day care. Another one of Pamelia’s initiatives was planting forget-me-nots, the symbol for memory loss, in the National Botanical Garden.
People with Alzheimer’s usually fall into two categories – those who have early onset: this results from a genetic predisposition which runs in families, and those who develop it in later life. There are individuals who present in their 30s, though this is a rare occurrence. It usually presents in persons aged 65 and over.
“She leaves a legacy through her work, inspiring those living with dementia, families, caregivers, health practitioners and the wider community. Her efforts will have a positive and meaningful impact on people living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers today, and in the future.”
Former Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Cynthia Forde
Pamelia believed in valuing persons with dementia and treating them with dignity and respect. She received the Barbados Service Star in November 2023, during the Independence Day Honours, for her outstanding activism, education, and raising the awareness of Barbadians about Alzheimer’s and dementia and her dedication to the building and strengthening of the Barbados Alzheimer’s Association.
Acting Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Arthur Phillips, said the Ministry of Health and Wellness was “saddened” by Pamelia’s passing.
“Her contribution to health in terms of her work dealing with dementia was of significant benefit to Barbados and the health system and she will be missed,” he stated. Additionally, former Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Cynthia Forde, said her example of service to others was one that everyone should emulate.
“She leaves a legacy through her work, inspiring those living with dementia, families, caregivers, health practitioners and the wider community. Her efforts will have a positive and meaningful impact on people living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers today, and in the future,” said Ms. Forde.