‘I am hurt by this development’ - Mayor of Port Antonio bemoans living conditions of elderly couple

Naylors Hill, Portland:

Mayor of Port Antonio Paul Thompson has said that the living conditions of an elderly couple at Naylors Hill in Portland were arguably the worst that have come to his attention since assuming the position of chairman of the Portland Municipal Corporation.

“I am hurt by this development, and I stand ready to assist in the quest to make the lives and living conditions of this elderly couple a lot better even if I have to contribute from my own private funds,” Thompson told The Gleaner.

The mayor pointed out that the Poor Relief Department in the Portland Municipal Corporation should have been aware of the plight of the elderly couple. “I am sure that the Poor Relief Department is in touch with those affected,” he said.

Thompson said that he was confident that the department provided the needy couple with basic food items, along with a stipend. “I cannot give a figure as to those that are indigent in the Port Antonio region, however, the poor relief officer would be better able to respond to that,” he added.

“It is their duty to take care of the indigent. They visit the various communities from time to time and investigate and have the poor registered for them to get the necessary benefits,” Thompson said.

The senior citizens who had been confined to a house heavily infested with bed bugs, termites, roaches, rats, and other rodents on Tuesday, received the perfect gift for Christmas from a Portland-based youth group.

The group, Young Energized Talent and Trustworthy Individuals (YETTI), on Tuesday, removed old bedding material, rotting furniture, and insect droppings from the residence of 84-year-old Basil Brown and his 83-year-old wife, Dorothy.

“We never expected to encounter anything like this, especially in this day and age,” commented Venice Davis Harris, who acted as spokesperson for the youth group.

“This is both shocking and disturbing to see an elderly couple living in such filthy conditions, and with relatives (family members) living in the same yard. Clearly, they have been abandoned by these grandchildren, who simply turned a blind eye to their inhumane and deplorable living conditions,” Harris said.

The youth group said it heard about the deplorable conditions in which the elderly couple was living and decided to provide some assistance ahead of Christmas. “We cried openly as a group when we realised how severe and deplorable their conditions were. We were brought to tears, literally, knowing also that there are family members living on the premises. It really affected us.”

YETTI also received assistance from Member of Parliament for Portland Eastern Ann-marie Vaz, who provided them with the necessary resources, including toiletries, bedding equipment, a mattress, items of clothing, care packages, food, solar lamps, buckets, and bath pans to help with the poor living condition of the couple.

But while the group spent the entire day cleaning and removing waste from both dwellings, they were particularly concerned about the living conditions of the elderly man, who is not only unable to speak, but also appears to be visually impaired and unable to help himself.

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