Under a Facebook post of an elderly Guyanese woman who committed suicide at Golden Fleece on the Essequibo Coast, another Essequiban asked ‘Where is Annan Boodram?” This question saddened us tremendously, if only because it seems to speak to the over dependence on overseas-based Guyanese individuals and entities to tackle social issues in Guyana, whereas the reality should be that a combination of state and community involvement should form the fundamental basis for structured and ongoing assistance.

The article stated, in part, “Ramsamooj lately returned from the United States. Her entire family is said to be in New York. She was living with her sister at the time of her death.“

Questions abound. Was she simply visiting her family in the U.S. and had returned home to Guyana? If so, why was an elderly mother living in Guyana away from the rest of her family? Was she legally living in the U.S. and had opted to return to Guyana? If so, why did the family allow such an elderly member to be so far away from them? Was she legally living in the U.S. and had been sent back to Guyana by her family? If so, would this not be tantamount to abandonment? After all, regardless of how her children would have been, the mother never sent them away from her.

Whatever the scenario was, the fact remains that this was a lady in her eighties, who may have felt abandoned by her immediate family; and if she had been legally in the U.S., then she also would have had the emotional cushion pulled from under her and the scope for positive social life, one that she may have become accustomed to, reduced to almost zero. Also she may have lost financial and material assistance provided by US/NY governmental agencies and she definitely would have lost easy and fast access to first rate medical services that is available in the U.S.

Since the early 1990s, we have been privy to stories of elderly Guyanese maltreated and abused by their families. One such story told of a mother who was sponsored by her son. Not long after her arrival in the U.S., she was placed to live in basement of the son’s home, without any heat during the winter, and whatever financial assistance she received from governmental agencies was seized by the son and his wife with almost nothing given back to her.Eventually, neighbors found out about the old lady’s plight and reported it to relevant agencies. Consequently she was taken away and placed in more caring circumstances while the son and his wife were arrested and charged.

More recently (01/14/14) the Guyana media highlighted the case of an 83-year-old bedridden man beaten to death by his 53-year-old , mentally unstable son. This case also spawns many questions. Were these two living alone? If not, why were they left alone? If so how could family have allowed this. Many of us grew up in Guyana where our elders were cherished and embraced in the bosoms of the family and their invaluable life experiences were the banquets from which grandchildren and other youngsters feasted. On the one hand, grandparents reduce the impact of negativity, often become confidantes of their grandchildren, can share tremendous experiences and knowledge to guide other family members, have more time to socialise with grandchildren and more concretely display care, compassion, concern. On the other hand, elders need to generally spend their last days knowing that they have nothing to worry about and that care and love underpin their daily existence, regardless of what idiosyncrasies, whims and fancies they may exhibit.

Whatever the circumstances relating to that elderly woman, there was enough pain there to have led her to the agonizing decision to end it all. The Caribbean Voice therefore urges all – Guyanese overseas and at home – to let us get back to our innate qualities of family togetherness and its bequest of love and caring compassion regardless of what life throws at us.

Now back to the issues inherent in a call from domiciled Guyanese to those of us overseas when a situation like this arises. The simple fact is that overseas individuals/entities cannot make the kind of impact needed continually within communities. Each community has to be able to identify and set up support nets for the elderly and vulnerable among them as a first step, and then identify state and private sector help that may exist. There are many NGOs that do a great deal of work with limited resources, including, but not limited to Monique’s Helping Hands (Dr. Dawn Stewart), the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (Dr. Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth), Help and Shelter and Red Thread, the counselling center at Springlands on the Corentyne started by former magistrate Krishnadat Persaud, Mibicuri Community Developers, Hindus for Selfless Service, the Bacchus and Sankar families on the Essequibo Coast, the Guyana Foundation, Nirvana Humanitarian Mission and the American University of Research (apologies for not being able to list all organizations).

On this issue of NGOs, The Caribbean Voice strongly believes that all organizations working on the social landscape should initiate working relations with all others, as this would help to establish a network that can foster referrals and join operations whenever and wherever possible. Such an approach would lead to greater reach and impact and maximization of resources. The socio-political realities of Guyana, in particular, do not make it easy for the ‘go it alone’ approach. Thus the concept akin to community psychology – identifying social problems within communities and developing solutions in collaboration with all possible forces – needs to and must be applied. In effect, when the community cares, everyone learns to care and the effects snowball – less abuse, less suicide, less addictions and less crimes.

We in The Caribbean Voice know that this is easier said than done, but that it is also practical not only because it happens elsewhere in the world, but also because it was a pervasive Guyanese reality some generations ago. In effect, collectively caring for society’s most vulnerable leads to an aura of care and compassion that becomes cyclic. And this cycle starts with individuals within communities.

THE CARIBBEAN VOICE