HIGHLIGHTING an internal survey that revealed several abusive practices meted out to senior citizens, founder of Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP) Jean Lowrie-Chin is advocating the implementation of legislation and policies similar to the Child Care and Protection Act, to protect the elderly.

“I think that when there is a focus and where there are more punitive measures for these acts then people will certainly think twice about abusing the elderly,” reasoned Lowrie-Chin.

“We know that if you know about child abuse and you do not report it you are liable for prosecution, and we would like the same to apply to people who may know about elderly abuse and do not report it,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

CCRP is a non-profit organisation for people over 40 years old that advocates the protection of senior citizens. The organisation further seeks to empower seniors to continue to make meaningful contributions to the development of the community, country, and region.

The survey, carried out among 12,000 members of the organisation, found that maltreatment, neglect by caregivers, financial abuse, and structural ageism in public and private institutions and places of business are among the prominent issues affecting the livelihood of seniors.

“There were financial issues where the offspring, as well as other family members, were influencing elders to give them money or sign over their various assets to them,” said Lowrie-Chin.

“We’ve gotten reports of elderly abuse in some nursing homes and also among some caregivers. These persons experienced verbal and physical abuse, and the result is that elders are afraid to speak up for fear of repercussions,” she said.

The CCRP noted that globally, about one in six people 60 years and older experienced some form of abuse in community settings during the past year. Rates in institutional settings, such as nursing homes and long-term care facilities, are higher still, with two in three staff reporting that they have committed abuse in the past year.

In light of these findings Lowrie-Chin said CCRP decided to observe World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, celebrated annually on June 15, to bring awareness to elder abuse and continue its lobby for the passage of an elder care and protection Act in Jamaica.

“It is a concern for every single Jamaican because one day we will get old and then these are the same concerns, the same fears that we will have, and the same situations that we will find ourselves in,” Lowrie-Chin said.

She acknowledged the work being done by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to address the issue, and shared that the organisation has engaged in some promising conversations with the ministry and hopes that legislative action will follow soon.

As it stands, there is no direct legislation in Jamaica that speaks to elder abuse and the protection of seniors. However, there are policies such as the National Policy for Senior Citizens, which have been put in place.

Further advocating a holistic approach to protecting the most senior members of society, Lowrie-Chin called on the private and public sectors to address the issue of ageism in the workplace.

“People don’t believe that an older person can manage certain things and sometimes, because of that, they are left out when there is training for new technology, which they probably can handle very well,” said Lowrie-Chin.

“They feel a bit left out; they feel as if they are on the retirement track so they are not getting the kind of opportunities that the younger members of the team would be getting,” she said.

“The experience that our more mature staff members have is invaluable — money cannot buy that. It’s just important for them to promote love and respect among their staff members, for them to understand that there needs to be a certain level of respect for their more mature workers. They can learn so much more from them than they could have learned at university,” she stressed.