Executives

Ms. Dundeen Ferguson

Ms. Dundeen Ferguson is an Attorney-at-Law, Lecturer, and a Social Activist who advocates for non-violence against women and for the health and well-being of persons living with disabilities. Dundeen founded Alzheimer’s Jamaica shortly after her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2001. She felt a need to connect with other families in Jamaica who had loved ones living with dementia. She also wanted to facilitate education and resource sharing focused on how to care for loved ones living with the disease, to advocate Alzheimer’s Disease being a national health priority for the Jamaican government, and to raise awareness for families and members of the community about wandering behaviours that people living with the disease show. She learned from Keith Turner, a Chiropractor who had the disease that he was not “suffering” from Alzheimer’s disease but “living” with it. The day he shared those words with her changed the way she stepped forward advocating for persons living with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. She has co-authored an article in the Caribbean Journal of Social Work entitled The Complexity of Dementia Care: A collective case study of three caregivers in Jamaica. She lives between Canada and Jamaica.

Mr. Garfield Harvey

Mr. Garfield Harvey is currently the 3rd Vice President of the University and Allied Workers Union in Jamaica. He is an Industrial Relations Consultant. He is currently a Board Member of the Public Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica and on the Board of Trustees of the Cable & Wireless Pension Plan. He is committed to negotiations and having relevant voices around the table. Garfield’s entry into Alzheimer’s Jamaica was on the request of his dear friend Dundeen, someone for whom he is willing to tackle anything requested. Married for over 22 years, when he is not working, he enjoys spending time with his 8 children, 2 biological and 6 godchildren.

Ms. Sandra Latibeaudiere

Ms. Sandra Latibeaudiere sees her central identities as a woman, mother, educator and social worker. She is active in advocacy work especially in raising awareness about the social dimensions of Alzheimer’s Disease and the impact of the disease on women. She has planned, designed and executed workshops to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of the disease. As the Executive Team member with responsibility for Programmes, she infuses the organization’s programming with initiatives focused on appropriate attention to dementia prevention, cure and care, and on steps toward securing a commitment from the Government of Jamaica to develop a coordinated national dementia strategy based on the principles of human rights, empowerment, evidence-based, equity, universal health and social care coverage. She is a co-author, with Dundeen and Wendy, of the article “The complexity of dementia care: A collective case study of three caregivers in Jamaica”, published in the Caribbean Journal of Social Work.

Ms. Shirley J. Duncan

Ms. Shirley J. Duncan is a development professional with over twenty-five years’ experience in team leadership and facilitation and coordination of services focusing on women and child welfare/protection, health promotion, gender equality and community development. She holds an M.Sc. in Human Resource Development and B.Sc. Social Work, Psychology (Double Major) from University of the West Indies, and a diploma from the Jamaica School of Agriculture. Her passion for improving the situation of women and girls in Jamaica infused her work as Director of the Community Liaison Unit of Bureau of Women’s Affairs (BWA), Office of the Prime Minister (now Bureau of Gender Affairs), where she led a team in the revision of policies, researched social development issues, designed and managed public education campaigns, promoted community development and sought to change values and attitudes toward the achievements of the goals of the National Policy for Gender Equality. As the Alzheimer’s Jamaica Executive Team member responsible for Regions, Shirley leverages her physical location outside the Kingston/St. Andrew area to ensure that Alzheimer’s Jamaica builds capacity and presence in the other parishes islandwide, coordinating the public education and sensitisation programmes to raise public awareness in a manner that is coherent across parishes, yet sensitive to the local needs of specific areas.