Government acknowledges informal care bottlenecks on Bonaire and recognizes need for local policy

THE HAGUE - Dutch State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport, Judith Tielen, acknowledges that informal caregivers on Bonaire face structural overload, administrative burden and a lack of appropriate support. This emerges from her responses to parliamentary questions about the report "Needs and support for informal caregivers on Bonaire" by Stichting Mantelzorg Bonaire (Bonaire Informal Care Foundation).

According to Tielen, the report provides "valuable insights" into the current situation of informal caregivers on the island. A striking finding is that 22 percent of informal caregivers need administrative support, a signal that according to the State Secretary points to both a need for better information provision and reducing regulatory burden.

Local informal care policy necessary

The State Secretary emphasizes that the responsibility for developing coherent informal care policy lies primarily with the Public Entity Bonaire (OLB). The national government supports this through the Decision on Social Support and Combating Domestic Violence and Child Abuse BES, which came into effect on January 1, 2025, and should contribute to greater self-reliance and participation of vulnerable residents.

The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport provides customized services such as day care, respite care, domestic help and temporary accommodation for informal caregivers. Training courses for informal caregivers have also been offered in recent years and a new informal care support center has been opened.

Diverse needs among informal caregivers

The report shows that informal caregivers need very diverse forms of support. Informal caregivers with nursing tasks appear to need virtually all forms of assistance, while informal caregivers who mainly perform household tasks primarily need financial support. According to Tielen, these findings provide direction for offering more customized care.

Possible pilot on Bonaire

When asked whether additional support is possible, given the unique demographic and socioeconomic situation on Bonaire, Tielen states that an intensification pilot through the Cockpit Group Chain Alliance Elderly Care (CKO) could be established. Such a pilot must emerge from monitoring existing services and be led by the OLB. The ministry says it is prepared to support this process and share experiences with Saba and Sint Eustatius.