Frankly Speaking The poor growing old in Guyana
Seeing the aged security guard sound asleep at her post the other night, then wondering about the reflexes of a very, very “matured” taxi driver provoked me to re-cycle the following thoughts, last repeated four years ago.
But first, know that some societies actually define “old-age”; others have varying criteria to decide retirement age – that cut-off chronological number which is chosen either because the worker is deemed as no longer mentally/physically fit or to afford able juniors their rightful chance to earn opportunities for deserved promotion.
Secondly, whether it’s the Army, the Police Service or private corporation, some brains and experience are retired so prematurely that if those skills are wasted at home the retirees soon “rust” and become ill and accumulated years of ability and experience are wasted.
But this repetition has to do with the sustained plight of those thousands of working-class workers now in dubious “retirement”. What are the accessible safety nets? What standards exist at Old Folks Retirement facilities? [Just this Tuesday I visited a dear 80-plus friend now resident at an East Coast Demerara “Nursing Home” of high standards; oh but the cost!]
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Just who is “old”, “senior”?
I caution that defining just who is “elderly”, “senior citizen” or “old” is not as simple as that might appear.
That’s because there are significant historical, cultural and legal concepts of the old in various societies and cultures. Where life-expectancy is much longer – China, Tibet, Russia – and where there is less disease and war, an eighty-year-old is just beginning to be considered “old”. Some societies find ways to benefit from the skills and wisdom of maturity. Hence their planning and budgets cater appropriately for citizens’ golden years. So what’s the position in our good old Guyana?
As usual, we boast all the legalistic, even constitutional trappings; ambitious politicians can indicate myriad plans and lofty intentions. But “on-the-ground” actualities? Yes, at the national level, the abused National Insurance Scheme (NIS) tries to cope with its paid up pensioners. But flaws and frustrations abound even as both parties could be guilty.
Ask any working-class retiree or pensioner about the