There comes a point when personal experience becomes something bigger than yourself.

For me that point came after years of working with caregivers, seniors, families and vulnerable individuals and seeing the same challenges appear again and again.

Different families. Different circumstances. Different homes. But often the same problems: caregivers who feel unsupported, families who do not know where to turn, seniors whose voices are not always heard, and professionals working within a system that does not always provide the training, recognition or support they need.

That is why I founded the Bermuda Caregivers Alliance.

But this conversation is much bigger than one organisation.

Bermuda is ageing. Government projections indicated that by 2026, people aged 65 and over would represent nearly a quarter of our population. The old-age dependency ratio was projected to reach approximately 44 seniors for every 100 people of working age.

Those numbers have consequences.

More Bermudians will find themselves caring for an ageing parent, spouse or other relative. More families will have to navigate difficult decisions about home care, residential care, finances, employment and medical needs. And more pressure will inevitably be placed on professional caregivers and our wider health and social-care systems.

We therefore need to stop thinking about caregiving solely as a private family responsibility.

It is a community issue. It is a healthcare issue. It is a workforce issue. And increasingly, it is an economic issue.

International research has documented something families already understand: unpaid caregivers can carry enormous responsibilities while receiving relatively little formal recognition or support. They may suddenly find themselves managing medication, appointments, transportation, personal care, household responsibilities and finances while simultaneously trying to maintain their own careers, families and wellbeing.

Professional caregivers face a different but equally important set of challenges involving training, working conditions, professional recognition and appropriate standards.

When one family cannot find appropriate care, we might consider it an individual problem.

When many families experience the same difficulty, we have to ask a different question: what is happening within our system that allows the same problems to occur repeatedly?

That is where Bermuda's caregiving conversation needs to go next.

We should be working toward a more co-ordinated caregiving infrastructure — one that connects families, caregivers, healthcare professionals, government, educators, employers, charities and community organisations.

That does not mean government alone must solve every problem. Nor does it mean creating another layer of bureaucracy.

It means recognising that good intentions are no longer enough.

We need clearer pathways to information and support for families. We need appropriate education and training opportunities for caregivers. We need professional standards and accountability. We need stronger collaboration between organisations already working with seniors and vulnerable people. And we need to understand what caregivers themselves are experiencing rather than designing solutions without their voices at the table.

Most importantly, we need to act earlier.

Education before crisis. Support before burnout. Training before mistakes. Advocacy before neglect becomes normalised. Standards before poor practice becomes accepted.

This is the vision behind the Bermuda Caregivers Alliance.

The BCA should not simply become an organisation that families contact after they have reached a crisis. Our goal should be to help Bermuda to build a system that makes it less likely that families and caregivers reach that crisis in the first place.

That requires credible standards, good governance, research, partnerships and collaboration.

It also requires difficult conversations.

Are our current systems adequately protecting vulnerable people? Do families have enough information to make informed decisions? Are caregivers receiving the training and support they need? Are professional caregivers properly recognised and valued? Are our policies keeping pace with an ageing Bermuda? And what happens to a caregiver after years of caring when that caregiving role suddenly ends?

No single organisation can answer these questions.

However, Bermuda is small enough that we should be able to bring government, healthcare providers, caregivers, families, employers and community organisations around the same table to begin answering them together.

The Government has already acknowledged some of these challenges, including through recent work around dementia care and the need for more co-ordinated support for individuals, families and caregivers. We should build upon that momentum and broaden the conversation.

My personal experiences may have led me to establish the Bermuda Caregivers Alliance, but the BCA cannot be about one person's story.

It must be about the daughter caring for an ageing parent while trying to maintain her career. The son attempting to navigate a complicated care system. The spouse who unexpectedly becomes a full-time caregiver. The professional caregiver working long hours while trying to support their own family. The senior who wants to remain independent and be treated with dignity.

And the vulnerable person whose voice can too easily become lost within the system.

Caregiving is essential work. It sustains families, communities and ultimately our healthcare system.

With Bermuda's population ageing, the question is no longer whether caregiving deserves greater attention.

The question is whether we are prepared to build the infrastructure necessary to support the people who care.

Because caregiving cannot be solved one family at a time.

• Lisa James is the founder and chairwoman of Bermuda Caregivers Alliance