Caring for our elders is not cheap

Dear Editor,

Taking care of the elderly in Jamaica is very costly, especially when that person is bedridden and caretakers are not financially stable.

The last resort for most Jamaicans is to place their parents in a nursing home. But a good nursing home in Jamaica for a bedridden patient is over $100,000 per month, plus you have to buy other items.

The minimum wage as of June 1 is $15,000 per week, imagine paying that $100,000 monthly when you are also working minimum wage? Some families may ask a young family member who is not working to assist, but will that person stay home forever?

I’ve been to hospitals where I see elderly people by themselves — some are attending to their health issues while others have been abandoned by their families. Of course, that is a cruel thing to do, but if you look at the cost to take care of the elderly, especially when you don’t have enough money, it can really be stressful. Not all elderly people receive National Insurance Scheme payments and other benefits because they’ve never worked before to pay insurance or contribute to a pension fund.

Currently, the Jamaican society plans for the youth but not the elders. My message to those moving up in age is to invest in themselves so when they are retired or ill they have money to assist and not become a burden to their family members who are probably not well off financially.

The Government of Jamaica should invest more in nursery homes for the elderly. Nobody in Jamaica will want to send their loved ones to our infirmaries because most aren’t in good condition.