Reluctance delays vital help for elderly woman in distress

Government officials are encountering resistance from the family of a 90-year-old Brittons Hill woman, as they attempt to intervene and provide much-needed assistance for her dire living conditions, a Barbados TODAY investigation has revealed.

But the family are themselves living in poor conditions, exposing a pocket of severe poverty for elderly people in the densely populated St Michael community.

Albertha Dowell, who lives in a five-bedroom timber house in Beales Gap, Villa Road, has been living in increasingly squalid conditions. A Barbados TODAY team found the property in a severe state of disrepair. Most of the ceiling was missing, with exposed rafters, while the floor was rotting, the walls covered in mould, and the house had significant structural issues. An overpowering odour pervaded the home, which was infested with bedbugs.

Despite the conditions, Dowell’s daughter, Marria Chandler, has expressed reluctance for the State to relocate her mother to safer accommodation.

“The house needs repairs,” she said. “The roof is leaking, the flooring and all the sides of the house [are] rotting. The house was like this since the last hurricane that passed us [Hurricane Elsa in 2022].” An overhanging tree also needed trimming.

Yet, although her mother required urgent assistance, Chandler, herself a pensioner, was unable to take her in due to her own dilapidated living conditions, with no utilities or indoor bathroom.

Chandler, 70, supports her mother by buying food and other essentials with part of her pension. Dowell, who has been living in the house since the 1970s, currently lives with son Mitchelin, 63, a retiree. Chandler revealed that three of Dowell’s eight children have died, including one who was their mother’s carer.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Elder Affairs, Jehu Wiltshire, detailed the government’s ongoing attempts to assist Dowell. According to Wiltshire, the ministry had reached out to the family numerous times to offer relocation to a safer environment. During the most recent visit on Saturday, August 17, Chandler was informed that accommodation could be provided immediately or the following day. But, she insisted she needed time to discuss the matter with relatives.

“We made contact with and visited the family on several occasions but received no response. We are still prepared to move [Dowell] at short notice to a safe place, an assisted living facility because it would not be prudent to leave her on her own at that age,” Wiltshire said, noting the urgency of finding temporary housing while more permanent arrangements are made.

Chandler said her mother was hesitant to move into assisted living, citing uncertainty over how long she would have to stay there. Minister of Elder Affairs and People Empowerment Kirk Humphrey, who is also the area MP, expressed concern over the family’s hesitance but pledged to continue efforts to persuade them to allow the government to intervene.

“They said they needed time to think about it as a family, so we cannot move her until permission is given. So, it is not a case where we are not doing anything, but the family has to make a determination,” Humphrey explained.

Humphrey also revealed that he had sought assistance from the Ministry of Health to address complaints from neighbours about large amounts of waste outside Dowell’s home, which was being hoarded and attracted pests.

On Tuesday, when Barbados TODAY visited her home, a clean-up operation was underway, with health inspectors overseeing Sanitation Service Authority workers and a skid-steer loader removing old appliances, machinery, and other debris from the property.

The next step, Humphrey said, would involve sanitising the house, a process that would require the occupants to vacate for a few days. Chandler initially resisted this plan, but Humphrey later confirmed that arrangements had been made for Dowell to stay with a grandson for three days while the clean-up was completed. Health inspectors may condemn some of the family’s furniture and other belongings due to a bedbug infestation, Humphrey said, but he gave an assurance that the ministry would replace any essential items.

It remains uncertain whether Dowell will agree to be relocated for a longer period to allow authorities to arrange permanent accommodation. Humphrey stressed the need for urgency in resolving the matter, given the 90-year-old’s vulnerable state.

Nathaniel Boyce, director of the Youth On Call organisation, who was also present during the clean-up, offered his support to the family in any way possible.

It was not immediately clear if any assistance was also being sought for Chandler.

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb