It was reported last Friday, that following one of their meetings, the government and the parliamentary opposition agreed to set up three committees that would, broadly, deal with issues affecting governance, the constitution and the economy. The Economic (non-budget 2012) Committee, it was reported, has as its mandate old age pensions, the poor and vulnerable and housing incentives for specific categories of workers.
Interestingly enough, many recipients of the old age pension—the majority in fact—are also poor and vulnerable and a significant number are homeless or soon will be.
Old age pensioners receive a beggarly $7,500 (US$37.50) per month from the government, which explains why a fair number of senior citizens in their late 70s and 80s are still employed, mostly as security guards or maids. There are also quite a few seniors on the streets, begging. Some of these seniors are not entitled to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) pension because they have never worked or were employed by unscrupulous persons who never submitted NIS payments for them. Some live with relatives who are barely scraping by; a few have resorted to living on the streets because $7,500 cannot even provide them with the basic necessities much less the relative ‘luxury’ of living in an old folks’ home.
Senior citizens’ homes do not run themselves; they must receive funds, and in return provide the bare necessities: a clean bed, three daily meals and the opportunity for interacting with their peers; staff must also be paid. The Palms on Brickdam and the Dharm Shala in Albouystown are two of the exceptions. The former is government subsidized, while the other represents the philanthropy and goodwill of the Ramsaroop family as well as their donors. However, in Georgetown, there is just one each of these entities and hundreds, if not thousands of elderly folk in dire straits.
Some pensioners have their own homes which they cannot afford to upkeep, but cannot afford to sell since what they would garner would not be enough to buy a smaller place. Subsidised condo-style housing for the elderly, either by the government or private sector, may be one way to alleviate this.
Some years ago, accessing the old age pension books involved severe hardship for the elderly. The process has now been streamlined to the extent that the new pension books with their security features look way more expensive than the sum their leaves afford each month.
There is a whole lot more that can be done for seniors to make their lives more comfortable. Money and housing does not represent the sum of their needs. Recreation, for example, beyond sitting them in front of a television in a rocking chair is necessary as well as exercise, looking after their health and mental stimulation of some sort. Old age ought not to condemn a person to an utterly boring life. Some of our seniors still have all their faculties and can also do mentoring with youth which would be beneficial to both.
Since the new Economic Committee is to have no bearing on this year’s budget, it would appear that the budget is to have no provision for an increase in pensions, but that this would be decided after the committee deliberates. And there has been enough public outcry about the meagre old age pension to move even the steeliest of hearts.
Meanwhile, the National Commission on the Elderly, now defunct for almost four years, also needs to be resuscitated as it is obvious that seniors need representation beyond what will occur at the parliamentary level. Issues such as pensions, housing, recreation – quality of life issues, that is – should form part of the commission’s mandate.
It is time to stop treating the elderly as though they are unwanted scraps. As philosopher Abraham Heschel said: “A test of a people is how it behaves toward the old. It is easy to love children. Even tyrants and dictators make a point of being fond of children. But the affection and care for the old, the incurable, the helpless are the true gold mines of a culture.”
