Keith Burrowes
As has been my habit in the past, this week, I’ve decided to write on a topic inspired by a personal observation; in this case my recent witness of the disrespect shown to a very elderly person by some younger people.

I was shocked because I am part of a generation who was taught that it was almost sacrilegious to be disrespectful to one’s elders. Today, in some instances, there seems to be a radical reversion of that culture to one in which the elders are oftentimes regarded as an object of mockery and derision rather than a source of authority and wisdom.

It is hard to get a definitive picture of what it means to be elderly in Guyana today, but there are some clear indicators that this situation has improved in certain areas in the recent past. For example, the elderly have undoubtedly benefitted from overall improvement in the health care system, Government pensions have also improved as has the process for delivering monthly payments to pensioners. Perhaps most significantly, the average life expectancy, over the last decade, has increased by approximately five (5) years; from 63 years to about 68 years (unverified figures).

But is this the best we can be doing altogether as a society? Are we giving the elderly the sort of attention they need?

There are, for example, dozens of large to medium NGOs with a primarily youth focus in Guyana, cutting across perhaps as many areas as young people have an interest in – dance groups, choirs, environment, community service, sport, health (HIV/AIDS in particular), religion, politics. Contrast that with the number of groups for the elderly, outside of, or even including, senior citizens’ homes. Although the numbers may never be equal, perhaps they need to be more equitably distributed. While our national focus to aid youth development is commendable in its scope, the contrasting focus, or lack thereof, of programmes geared toward the elderly is quite definitely an area which begs improvement.

In this column, one of the issues I’ve usually written on is the over-dependence on government in too many areas. While government’s input is no doubt invaluable to the development of certain programmes, ownership of any initiative on the elderly needs to be at a national level.

In several countries, there are programmes and institutions in place to address the needs of older people and acknowledge their importance in society; from the American Association or Retired Persons (AARP) to Japan’s Annual Day for the Elderly, to Canada’s Programme of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Most of these have varying components of governmental and non-governmental input. Shouldn’t there for example, be more recreational areas or events dedicated to the participation of older people?

One idea I would like to put forward for example is that of a sort of needs-based Pensioners’ Fund wherein government facilitates the administration of the fund which is supported by private sector contribution. One person I spoke to on this subject, Thelsa Garnette (lecturer at the University of Guyana - UG), put forward the novel proposal of businesses setting aside 1% of their annual profits to donate to such a fund.

Following specific assessment criteria, assistance could be given to eligible persons in desperate need of same. There are other initiatives like discounts and refunds on select services and goods (transportation, medication) which can be used to ease the lot of older folks. A daycare facility for the elderly is an idea whose time has reached in Guyana, for instance, many housewives who would have served as caregivers are now employed outside of the home.

Additionally, catering to the elderly isn’t only about physical care but also harnessing their potential for continued contribution to their own welfare as well as the development of the society as a whole. With better healthcare, as one saying goes “65 is the new 50″ – are we coming up with programmes geared at increasing or extending the productivity of older persons in Guyana?

Another sector that I would like to challenge in opening up a space for the elderly is the media. In my estimation the media is complicit in the disrespect for older persons which can sometimes be found in our society today by the unwillingness or disinclination to focus on issues pertinent to this group. In a way, the media house manager who refuses to come up with content geared towards the elderly is virtually as guilty as the minibus driver who doesn’t want to stop on the street for the feeble old woman. An hour of programming a week for television and a weekly supplement in the newspapers, dedicated to our citizens most advanced in age, would not be overly taxing on our local media. Indeed, it may offer opportunities for engaging the attention of an overlooked niche market.

There may be no means of precisely assessing the ways in which older people contribute to how Guyana develops but the anecdotal trends are, in my view, very positive. Take away the role of the babysitter of the grandmother, for example, and how many young working mothers, or even couples, would be unable to earn an adequate living while still caring for their children?

In closing, I would like to say that being old is a state of humanity and one that we all potentially face and, if fortunate, get to attain. It is not something that should be shunned, disrespected or ignored. We need to find more ways of acknowledging, embracing and celebrating the old folks among us.