#BTEditorial – Elderly, social security, healthcare plan needed

The way that a society cares for its children and the elderly speaks volumes about that community and where it sets its priorities.

Unfortunately, it has become a worrying trend as we witness a shift towards individualism and away from community and family-focus. This has resulted in the dismantling of family support systems and a relegation of the traditional respect accorded to the elderly.

Our country has adopted a throw-away attitude where one’s importance and value are linked to one’s current usefulness. No matter how valuable the contribution made by our senior citizens during the prime of their lives, it is all about “what can you do for me now”.

We, therefore, are not surprised by the disclosure from the chief operations officer (COO) of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Dr Christine Greenidge that the burden of caring for elderly patients who have been abandoned by their families was now a major problem for the institution.

Dr Greenidge issued an appeal to families to seek help in managing the care of elderly relatives who have become incapacitated, rather than dropping them off at the QEH and never returning for them.

Such actions are inhumane and callous and should be condemned.

However, after the condemnation, action is still required. Those elderly who are abandoned are seldom destitute and assetless.

What makes the situation more deplorable is the fact that some of those who do not want to assist their elderly relatives are quite comfortable holding on to their pension cheques, their homes, land, furniture and other valuables.

It is a sad indicator of how far we have fallen as a society.

As she addressed several young interns who will be joining the medical staff of the QEH for the next two years, Dr Greenidge, who is also the hospital’s acting chief executive officer, highlighted the depth of the challenge.

“It has been a problem for years, but I think recently the numbers of these abandoned elderly care patients are occupying the equivalent of two wards. We’ve seen as high as 48 patients and the number fluctuates – it is periodic and rises around holidays and Crop Over time.”

She outlined: “Many times we are given wrong phone numbers and other times families have said they simply cannot care for their elderly anymore and so they stay here until they are placed in one of the geriatric facilities.”

With abandoned patients occupying the equivalent of two hospital wards, the situation is dire.

These people who should be in their own homes are instead utilising scarce medical and financial resources that ought to be afforded to people who are actually ill  and in need of medical attention in a hospital setting.

A May 2019 article published in the Caribbean Medical Journal, titled – The impact of ageing on public health: Implications for Caribbean, offers some interesting insights into the issue.

The publication noted: “Ageing is associated with gradual accumulation of molecular and cellular damage that results in decreased physiological capacity, increased disease risk, and decline in health resulting in death.

“The prevalence of chronic conditions such osteoarthritis, diabetes mellitus, sleep disorders, mental health issues, and mobility challenges have been found to increase with age.”

The paper argued that public health must quickly adapt to changing demographic trends to ensure ‘healthy ageing’ by taking steps to promote life-long health promotion, disease prevention, and providing optimal long-term care and support. 

There is a recognition that Barbados’ elderly population is becoming the dominant segment of our overall demographic, while the number of births has been dropping.

Given our current demographic trends, challenges to our social security system and a growing elderly population, we need to see concrete plans from the administration on how these interconnected healthcare, social security, and population issues will be addressed.