AS THE tragedy in Haiti continues in terms of human suffering in the wake of the devastating earthquake, it is good to see the massive global response, and the tremendous local one as well. My major source for international news on the effort has been, of course, CNN, and I would like to highlight the work being done by the network’s correspondents, Anderson Cooper and Dr Sanjay Gupta.

I have to say “work” and not just coverage, because both Cooper and Gupta have dedicated much of their time in Haiti not just to reporting, but actually taking part in the rescue and treatment of persons affected by the quake.

Of all the stories covered by that network, and one that touched me personally, was the case of a young boy that was rescued after spending some ten days entombed. It was rather moving, as well as humbling to see, after being practically left for dead, that when he emerged from what could easily have been his grave, he had a smile on his face.

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 the generation that was taught that it was tantamount to sacrilege to be disrespectful to one’s elders. Today, in some instances, there seems to be a radical reversal 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.

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, and 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. For example, one idea I would like to put forward 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.

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?

Additionally, catering to the elderly isn’t only about physical care, but also about 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? In much the same way that there are skills training workshops for young people, I believe that it also makes sense for age-specific skills training facilities for the elderly. As an adjunct to this, I would also suggest the establishment of a retirees’ skills database. Such a system would capture the skills and qualifications of persons on retirement to be made available to partner agencies within the government and other sectors.

Another idea that I think has merit, is to encompass the several services that are offered to the elderly into one place — a one-stop shop for the elderly. Imagine a single space where older persons can go to collect pension benefits, pay their utility bills, and seek basic medical care. And, of course, the same place could house the training facilities I mentioned above. Several such one-stop shops spread out across the country would serve a great deal towards repaying the debt we owe to the elders amongst us.

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 babysitter role 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.

*Editor’s Note: Due to the overwhelming response we’ve had (by phone and other means of communication) since this piece was published last Sunday (January 24, 2010), we have decided to run it again so that those of our readers who may have missed it but heard about it, may have the opportunity of reading it for themselves and drawing their own conclusion.