Morris bats for legal framework to shield seniors

Opposition Senator Dr Floyd Morris is pushing for the establishment of a legislative framework to protect senior citizens in Jamaica.

Last Friday, the Senate debated a motion moved by Morris for the promulgation of legislation in the form of an Elderly Care and Protection Act.

Morris wants a special select committee of the Senate to be named to deliberate on the scope and magnitude of the law to be formulated.

“It galls me every time I listen to the news and I hear of the abuse that is meted out to our citizens by individuals in the society and it is a sick society that engages in such abuse of the older population.

“I want us to establish strong legislation to protect these individuals because they are vulnerable,” Morris said.

SCAMMED AND ABUSED

The senator, who has a track record for lobbying for the disabled community and other vulnerable groups, told his colleagues in the Upper House that Trinidad and Tobago had passed legislation to protect their senior citizens, while St Vincent and the Grenadines was in the process of drafting a similar law.

He reasoned that as people grow older, there is the likelihood that they may develop a physical disability.

The Opposition lawmaker lamented that many senior citizens have been scammed and abused by family members. He added that they also faced significant challenges in collecting pensions.

Morris called on Labour and Social Security Minister Karl Samuda to review the current pension for National Insurance Scheme beneficiaries.

He said that the pension that is being paid to senior citizens should be increased urgently as a result of the sharp rise in inflation.

In her contribution to the debate, Government Senator Dr Saphire Longmore commended Morris for moving the motion to protect another vulnerable group in Jamaica.

Longmore, a psychiatrist, elaborated on Morris’ concerns about how the elderly suffered ill-treatment.

She said elder abuse often occurs at the places where seniors live and as such, it is difficult for them to report these incidents.

“It is, unfortunately, [a case of being abused] by family members, grandchildren, spouses and so the victim is often afraid to talk. It is manifested in physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse and neglect,” she said.

She argued that existing laws that can be used to protect the elderly might not go far enough in addressing various situations affecting senior citizens.

Longmore said that elderly people, who are at times victims of sexual abuse, often grapple with medical problems such as memory loss that make it difficult for them to report these incidents.

“This additional violation to the elderly with an underlying medical condition should be taken into account if an Elderly Care and Protection Act is being pursued,” she said.