It was late September and there was a birthday party going on, but unfortunately, there was no fun castle. The birthday girl, bedecked in a sparkly paper crown and best dress, seemed okay with that.

She was in her late 80s and a resident at Westmeath Residential and Nursing Home, part of a growing portion of Bermuda's population living well into old age. She was also one of the lucky ones to get into Westmeath.

"People are desperate to come in," said Westmeath administrator Elizabeth (Libby) Durrant. "We have a genuine waiting list now, and more and more people are seeking financial assistance. When I started working here four years ago, 15 percent of our population received financial assistance. Today, that figure has grown to 30 percent."

Westmeath was established 100 years ago as a home "for ladies of good social standing". But since 1982, it has been available to all members of the community regardless of their race, sex or social circumstances.

Today, it is the largest resthome on the Island and provides 62 beds in three separate units including a residential unit with four apartments, a 20-bed intermediate wing and 16 beds for people requiring nursing care.

They also have an enclosed area that provides 18 beds for people with some form of dementia.

Westmeath recently raised $500,000 to renovate its intermediate wing.

"We wanted to better care for the dementia patients," said Ms Durrant. "That is a closed unit. The only other place that has an operating closed unit is King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. Ours is small, and there is absolutely more of a need for it. Everyone is living longer with more incurable diseases.

"There are better medications available to keep people alive. Our oldest resident is 103-years-old and we have a lady in the residential unit who is in her late 90s."

One alternative to nursing homes might be to have a nursing aide in the home.

Unfortunately, even though there are companies in Bermuda that provide nursing aides, there is still a shortage on the Island.

"People are desperate and don't know what to do," said Ms Durrant.

"A lot of people struggle to get nursing aides to come in and provide care. Home nursing care is at a premium and the shortage of it in Bermuda is very serious. I don't really know what the answer is except that more homes and sheltered accommodation are necessary for the elderly. But you need people to staff new homes."

Carole Paynter, director of nursing, said: "I tell young people thinking about coming into nursing, that I have been doing it almost 50 years and I love it. It is a vocation."

Ms Paynter said they would like to see more volunteers working at Westmeath. They currently accept volunteers who are 15-years-old and older. Volunteering at Westmeath could be an opportunity for many students who are working to complete community service hours at school.

The Westmeath phone rings off the hook with calls from people looking for information. To help deal with this, Westmeath recently created its first Westmeath webpage which launched earlier this month.

The new website provides information about Westmeath's history, programmes and future plans. There is also a photo gallery, and an option to make a charitable donation to the facility online.

One part of the age crisis is that families are getting smaller and busier. Women who traditionally took care of the elderly in the family in the past, are now more likely to be working outside of the home. And many families are struggling to make ends meet in today's economy.

"We see all sorts of sad things here," said Ms Durrant. "We have families who are kind and supportive who are in everyday while other residents are virtually abandoned here. At Christmas there are some residents left here with no one inviting them out. We have people here who get few to no visitors."

Ms Durrant said the plan for Westmeath was that fees cover operating costs and regular repair and maintenance.

"So with good governance, Westmeath can break even each year," she said. "However, it is our extra-ordinary expenses and major capital projects that will require special funding and Westmeath is therefore seeking the assistance of benefactors on an ongoing basis to help with the heavy burden of costs."

To do this Westmeath trustees have appointed a development and fundraising committee. This committee is presently in its infancy but this year a Capital/Fundraising campaign will be launched. An endowment fund is also a future project.

Contact Libby Durrant on 295-6284 for more information about Westmeath. See their new website at www.westmeath.bm.