Council of Older Persons: Ageing In The Cayman Islands Forum
Council Of Older Persons Ageing Forum 2025
Keynote Speaker
Fiona McDougall,
Owner of Healthy Futures Ltd & Cabinet-appointed Chair of the Cayman Islands Mental Health Commission.
Fiona has over twenty years’ experience in strategic planning and operational improvement initiatives in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors in Canada, the US, and the Cayman Islands. After working in large consulting, boutique consulting, and the public sector over a ten-year period, Fiona started her own business consulting practice in 2010 which grew rapidly and was subsequently acquired by Optimus SBR in 2012. In 2014, Fiona co-founded Healthy Futures Ltd. in the Cayman Islands to provide evidence-informed strategy, operations, and workplace synergy services to organizations in the Cayman Islands, Canada, & the US.
Fiona is passionate about helping organizations who value healthy growth, positive cultures, and improving lives. The Healthy Futures team develops multi-year strategies, optimizes operations, and builds resilient teams who make a positive impact in the workplace and the world. Healthy Futures has assisted public and private health service organizations, government agencies, and pharmaceutical companies develop strategies to address funding pressures, streamline operations, improve access to care, and implement innovative models of care to deliver meaningful clinical results.
Ms. McDougall holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, an Honours BA from the University of Western Ontario, and has held senior executive positions in the public sector, healthcare consultancies, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies in Canada and the Cayman Islands. In 2016, Ms. McDougall was engaged as the healthcare system subject matter expert for the Performance Audit of the Cayman Islands Healthcare System and was the primary author of the Public Interest Report on the Cayman Islands Healthcare System.
Presentation: Needs and Challenges of an Ageing Population
Dr Sunku Guptha has been working as a consulting physician for over 20yrs with expertise in internal medicine and medicine for older people. After completing his medical schooling in India in 1994 he took up postgraduate training in the UK and attained his postgraduate degree in Medicine in 1998 at the Royal College of Physicians in London.
He then trained as a specialist in general medicine and medicine for older people at Cambridge for 5 years and was appointed to a consultant post in Peterborough City Hospital in 2004. He worked at Peterborough hospital for over 15yrs establishing his practice in general medicine and medicine for older people. He had a busy schedule covering patients admitted to hospital with various acute medical illness, specialist clinics for patients with Parkinsons disease, training junior doctors and medical students and leading quality and governance initiatives to improve patient care. He has been awarded several clinical merit awards for his work. He had a keen interest in research particularly in Parkinsons disease and Dementia and has published several articles in leading medical journals such as the British Medical Journal and the Lancet. He was elected as a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2012.
Dr Guptha moved to Cayman Islands in 2022 and has been working at Health City as an internist and specialist in medicine for older people providing services at East End and Camana Bay sites. He also provides home assessments for patients who are unable to travel to clinics. He has provided several caregiver training courses on behalf of Department of Children and Family services on issues relating to older people. He has worked with Alzheimer’s and Dementia Association of the Cayman Islands in increasing awareness of needs of people with dementia and provided training sessions on Dementia in Cayman Brac.
He has been keen to provide comprehensive assessments for older people and successfully launched a health check for seniors. His future plans include expanding health checks for seniors so they can be conducted at their homes, and to introduce advanced diagnostics and treatment for people with neurodegenerative disorders.
Speaker: John Lemuel Hurlston, Cayman Islands Civil Service Association (CICSA) - Credit Union
John Lemuel Hurlston is a nationally honoured civil servant, statesman, and author. He served as Chief Secretary and Deputy Governor of the Cayman Islands, retiring in 1995 after 26 years of public service. In recognition of his exemplary leadership, he was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1989 and a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 1994 by Her Majesty the Queen.
Mr. Hurlston currently serves as Chairman of the Constitutional Commission as well as BAF Insurance Company. He is a founding member of the Cayman Islands Civil Service Cooperative Credit Union and was recognised as s National Heroes Day Legacy Builder in 2025. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University College of the Cayman Islands and is the author of A Life That Counts, published in 2016
Speaker: Ryan Walrond, Cayman Islands Civil Service Association (CICSA) – Credit Union
Speaker: Marius Jackson, Cayman Islands Civil Service Association (CICSA) – Credit Union
Council Of Older Persons Ageing Forum 2024
Council District Reps: Annie Rose Scott-Sister Islands, Alice Mae Coe - West Bay,Herbert Crawford - Bodden Town, Alex Johnson-North Side, Aliceann Kirchman-East End, Lucille Dell Seymour-George Town
"Ageing in the Cayman Islands" was the Council Of Older Persons' first-ever public Forum.
The Council’s goal with hosting this event for the community and vital stakeholders was to ensure no one is left behind in an ageing world.
The forum is important in working towards the delivery of several of the government’s strategic goals including:
- Broad Outcome 1: Improve Quality of Life for Caymanians
- Broad Outcome 3: Future Proof to Increase Resiliency
- Broad Outcome 5: Protect and Promote Caymanian Culture, Heritage and Identity.
The number of people aged 65 years or older worldwide is projected to more than double, rising from 761 million in 2021 to 1.6 billion in 2050. The number of people aged 80 years or older is growing even faster.As we know, population ageing is an irreversible global trend. It is the inevitable result of the demographic transition – the trend towards longer lives and smaller families – that is taking place even in countries with relatively youthful populations.
Attendees of the Forum had the opportunity to discuss topic areas and important themes such as Changing lifestyles and behaviours of ageing, Preparing Your Home for Ageing, and Ageing Well in the Community.Other topics covered included advanced care planning, mental health, financial wellness, dementia and other health conditions, as well as staying active as we age.
Other specialized assistance at the forum included writing a Will and Estate Planning.
These discussions improved the lives of the ageing community and ensure that younger generations can also age with dignity and knowledge of their resources in the Cayman Islands.The Council hopes the ideas presented for discussion helped to be a catalyst for community-wide progression. The Council recognises that engagement is not an area where “one size fits all” and where sharing of good practice would be helpful- where we can all draw on the work and ideas emerging from the forum to ensure everyone in the Cayman Islands can age confidently.
The forum welcomed persons of all ages and The Council of Older Persons encouraged care-takers, older persons, families as well as the business community and relevant stakeholders to attend for a very insightful day.
Keynote Speaker
Fiona McDougall,
Owner of Healthy Futures Ltd & Cabinet-appointed Chair of the Cayman Islands Mental Health Commission.
Fiona has over twenty years’ experience in strategic planning and operational improvement initiatives in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors in Canada, the US, and the Cayman Islands. After working in large consulting, boutique consulting, and the public sector over a ten-year period, Fiona started her own business consulting practice in 2010 which grew rapidly and was subsequently acquired by Optimus SBR in 2012. In 2014, Fiona co-founded Healthy Futures Ltd. in the Cayman Islands to provide evidence-informed strategy, operations, and workplace synergy services to organizations in the Cayman Islands, Canada, & the US.
Fiona is passionate about helping organizations who value healthy growth, positive cultures, and improving lives. The Healthy Futures team develops multi-year strategies, optimizes operations, and builds resilient teams who make a positive impact in the workplace and the world. Healthy Futures has assisted public and private health service organizations, government agencies, and pharmaceutical companies develop strategies to address funding pressures, streamline operations, improve access to care, and implement innovative models of care to deliver meaningful clinical results.
Ms. McDougall holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, an Honours BA from the University of Western Ontario, and has held senior executive positions in the public sector, healthcare consultancies, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies in Canada and the Cayman Islands. In 2016, Ms. McDougall was engaged as the healthcare system subject matter expert for the Performance Audit of the Cayman Islands Healthcare System and was the primary author of the Public Interest Report on the Cayman Islands Healthcare System.
Changing Lifestyles and Behaviours of Ageing
Dr Sunku Guptha has been working as a consulting physician for over 20yrs with expertise in internal medicine and medicine for older people. After completing his medical schooling in India in 1994 he took up postgraduate training in the UK and attained his postgraduate degree in Medicine in 1998 at the Royal College of Physicians in London.
He then trained as a specialist in general medicine and medicine for older people at Cambridge for 5 years and was appointed to a consultant post in Peterborough City Hospital in 2004. He worked at Peterborough hospital for over 15yrs establishing his practice in general medicine and medicine for older people. He had a busy schedule covering patients admitted to hospital with various acute medical illness, specialist clinics for patients with Parkinsons disease, training junior doctors and medical students and leading quality and governance initiatives to improve patient care. He has been awarded several clinical merit awards for his work. He had a keen interest in research particularly in Parkinsons disease and Dementia and has published several articles in leading medical journals such as the British Medical Journal and the Lancet. He was elected as a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2012.
Dr Guptha moved to Cayman Islands in 2022 and has been working at Health City as an internist and specialist in medicine for older people providing services at East End and Camana Bay sites. He also provides home assessments for patients who are unable to travel to clinics. He has provided several caregiver training courses on behalf of Department of Children and Family services on issues relating to older people. He has worked with Alzheimer’s and Dementia Association of the Cayman Islands in increasing awareness of needs of people with dementia and provided training sessions on Dementia in Cayman Brac.
He has been keen to provide comprehensive assessments for older people and successfully launched a health check for seniors. His future plans include expanding health checks for seniors so they can be conducted at their homes, and to introduce advanced diagnostics and treatment for people with neurodegenerative disorders.