IT was difficult for us to listen to and report on the instances of abuse meted out to elderly Jamaicans highlighted by the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP) last week.

Mrs Jean Lowrie-Chin, founder of the CCRP, in making submissions to the Special Select Committee of the Senate examining proposals for an Elderly Care and Protection Act, called for the enactment of laws protecting seniors from abuse.

Our report told us that Mrs Lowrie-Chin pointed to a 2023 survey on elderly abuse in which 51 per cent of respondents said they had seen elder abuse, with instances in the community, family homes and care homes being the “most prevalent”.

When asked what was the nature of elderly abuse witnessed, 29 per cent said physical; 57 per cent said emotional; 33 per cent pointed to financial; and 59 per cent said neglect.

Mrs Lowrie-Chin told the committee that comments from the elderly on the survey, “spoke to sexual abuse of older men by younger women — who seduced them to gain access and control of their money — as being prevalent”.

She also highlighted the case of an elderly man’s bank accounts being drained and him being found starving in his apartment. Additionally, Mrs Lowrie-Chin said the CCRP is aware of instances of daughters who live abroad sending funds for mothers here, only for the funds to be diverted.

One of the more painful references Mrs Lowrie-Chin presented was that of an elderly woman with a wound to her forehead, tied up in a wheelchair and not getting proper assistance with hygiene. Add to those
cases, media exposure of elderly Jamaicans living in squalor bred by poverty. While that is not the lot of the majority of our seniors, the fact that it exists is ugly and stomach-turning.

Such experiences, and others highlighted in submissions to the committee, should not be ignored, especially given data provided by the Planning Institute of Jamaica that the elderly population — people aged 65 and over — is expected to double by 2050, when they will constitute almost 20 per cent of the total
populace.

We recall that in the latest revision of the National Policy for Senior Citizens, the state of the country’s aged was fairly accurately assessed and solutions to the challenges, proposed through a multi-stakeholder approach, were designed to address social, economic and health barriers.

As such, the Government, even with limited resources, is doing as much as it can through programmes like the Jamaica Drugs for the Elderly, the National Health Fund, National Insurance Scheme, as well as the National Council for Senior Citizens which provides in-home help through nurse aides and volunteers who assist with health, personal, and domestic needs.

Additionally, the NCSC provides cooked meals and food packages to elderly shut-ins in the Corporate Area, and also issues senior citizen identification cards that can be used to access discounts on various goods and services.

However, with the data showing that our dependent elderly population is increasing, our resolve must be to increase focus on areas of need, among them pensions, health insurance, social protection services, and the build out of more infirmaries
and assisted living facilities.

We share the CCRP’s concerns and believe that its call for legislation designed to protect seniors is worthy of serious debate — because one of the measures of our civilisation is the respect, dignity and protection we extend to our senior citizens.