Senior Citizens’ Month which is being observed in October will undoubtedly give rise to platitudes from many sectors on how the golden years of the elderly will be bettered.
It would have been far more instructive if this month’s observances were backlit by a detailed report from the government or the private sector on the state of the elderly in the country: their numbers, needs, physical and mental health, nutrition status, financial circumstances, living arrangements, discrimination, extent of abuse etc. Being a largely data-disdaining society, information of this sort to shape policy and improve the circumstances of the elderly is not readily available here.
Given changes to the traditional extended family, the high migration rate and the urban drift it is likely that increasing numbers of the elderly are being left to their own devices and at the mercy of minders as opposed to caregivers.
While mostly by anecdote, there have been a few well-publicised cases including the heart-rending one of Mrs Noelina Prospere-Medor, a St Lucian-born octogenarian who was found locked away in a tiny Craig apartment two years ago after a search had been launched for her by her overseas-based son. She would later be taken to the Palms.
There are also cases like those of Mrs Rajmonie Tomby, 68, who was left to take care of five grandchildren who had been orphaned after their mother was murdered and their father had committed suicide. With very little resources at her disposal she has managed heroically and is well-deserving of a helping hand.
The horrific case of 78-year-old Mrs Eileen August should also be remembered. She was knocked down by a taxi and even though she sustained a broken limb and other injuries was taken by the errant driver to her home instead of a hospital. She spent days in excruciating pain in her home before being taken to the hospital where she eventually passed away.
Yesterday’s Sunday Stabroek reported on the plight of 63-year-old Mrs Eulene Williams whose home went up in flames leaving her destitute and with five grandchildren to look after.
Aside from the small old age pension what else can the government offer families like this? What other measures can it put in place to ensure the independence and security of the elderly?
At a press conference on Friday, the PNCR made some useful points in this respect. The party called among other things for a national policy on the elderly, the issuing of old age pension books during the month of December, the regular monitoring and evaluation of homes for the elderly and the formulation of a senior-adolescent partnership programme to furnish young people with the skills needed.
While it has governed for 18 years in a row, there isn’t evidence of a comprehensive plan from the PPP/C to the ease the burdens of the elderly. Aside from the rehabilitation of the Palms to care for the indigent, waivers of utility bills and incremental increases in the old age benefit there hasn’t been much else.
Indeed, in respect of the National Insurance Scheme, seniors are being given a raw deal as pointed out by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Ralph Ramkarran recently. Once seniors hit 60 they lose access to a range of benefits which ironically they need more than ever and for which they have been ostensibly contributing for many years.
The sting on pensioners worsened this year when the NIS discontinued its free drug distribution programme apparently because of the financial burden. Pensioners will now be reimbursed costs but only to 80%. Pensioners therefore need to dig deeper into their hard-pressed pockets.
There are many areas that the government and social security agencies should be looking at including assistance with travelling, specialized vehicles to cater for the infirm, priority attention at all public offices particularly at institutions such as hospitals and post offices and facilities for socializing and physical exercise.
Another important step which this newspaper has long called for and which should be instituted if this government is really serious about improving life for seniors is streamlining the process for NIS pensions. These pensions are pivotal to many pensioners who have attained the eligible age.
What happens quite frequently is that even though many of these pensioners are eligible for a NIS pension when they finally visit one of the imposing NIS offices they are usually fed a litany of excuses or prevarications. Facing questions about its ability to meet its long-term obligations, the NIS has exhibited great interest in paying out lump sums rather than the far pricier monthly pensions. So inevitably, newly inducted pensioners hear from the NIS that they don’t have the required number of contributions – even though they know fully well that they have met the requirement – or that documents could not be found to substantiate the number of contributions. Or they are simply given the royal runaround.
Which pensioner at age 60 should have to endure the indignity of having to deal with often sullen and unresponsive bureaucracy at an agency which has freely admitted that its record keeping in relation to contributions has serious problems? Moreover, pensioners might have long discarded their own records of their employment and many would hardly be in the physical condition that would allow them to reconstruct their records or to confront the NIS. Out of frustration, many of them over the years have sought recourse to the letter columns of this newspaper and results have been achieved after the complaints were referred to the NIS. How many others might not be enduring these same problems without knowing what could and should be done?
Which is why we recommended in these columns some time ago that the moment that members of the public have qualified for the NIS pension having attained 750 contributions, they should be immediately issued with a certificate which verifies that they have already qualified. The presentation of such a certificate to the NIS would immediately obviate the need to revert to old records which the NIS might not have or might not have integrated into its database. The only other calculation necessary would be in relation to employment that followed the issuance of the certificate. This could go a long way towards easing the pressure that pensioners have to endure at offices countrywide.
It is but one of many steps that the government can take to mitigate the harsh circumstances that many seniors here endure.
