The recent spate of attacks against elderly citizens underscores the urgent need for stronger protections and greater societal awareness of elder abuse, said Opposition leader Pennelope Beckles on Monday.
Beckles was the feature speaker at a health and legal clinic hosted by the Geriatric Society of Trinidad and Tobago, in commemoration of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
Addressing the function in the hall of the St Benedict’s RC Church in La Romaine, Beckles pointed to several recent incidents involving senior citizens who had been robbed, assaulted, exploited, or neglected, describing them as reminders of the vulnerabilities faced by older people across the country.
“As I stand here, you all will remember our newspapers carried the story of an 82-year-old pensioner from Princes Town who was attacked and robbed by masked men who should have seen a grandmother instead of an opportunity,” she said.
The Opposition leader also recalled the case of a 67-year-old woman who had a gun pressed to her head during a daylight robbery in her home and a 73-year-old Cunupia woman who survived a violent home invasion after being tied up and terrorised by bandits, only to later suffer a fatal heart attack brought on by the trauma.
Before arriving at the function, Beckles and San Fernando Mayor Robert Parris visited a 68-year-old man and his wife, who were robbed while sitting on the veranda of their Vistabella home last week.
“He (The victim) spoke about having worked most of his life, saving his money, going to the bank, taking his pension and living in a community where they never thought something like that would happen,” said Beckles.
Emphasizing that elder abuse extends beyond violent crime, she noted that many seniors suffer financial exploitation, neglect, emotional abuse and property-related abuse at the hands of relatives and caregivers.
“The TTPS have told us that hundreds of our seniors come to them each year for matters of financial exploitation, where a trusted family member empties a pensioner’s account, for property abuse where an elder is pressured to sign over the very house they built, only to be quietly moved into a home while someone else takes possession,” said the Opposition leader.
Cases of neglect and psychological abuse continue to erode the dignity and well-being of older citizens, she added, noting that the Division of Ageing has documented numerous reports involving abuse in both private homes and care facilities.
Beckles said one of the achievements of which she remained most proud was the establishment of the Division of Ageing during her tenure as Minister of Social Development, which was under the previous People’s National Movement administration.
Referencing comments made in 2014 by former Division of Ageing director Dr Jennifer Rouse that reports had surfaced of pensioners being swindled out of their monthly pensions, Beckles said she was also aware of numerous instances of exploitation involving older citizens.
“I have witnessed, for the want of a better word, skullduggery and abuse,” she said.
She noted that globally there are approximately 850 million people over the age of 65, representing about ten per cent of the world’s population, and in Trinidad and Tobago, an estimated 190,000 to 200,000 people are over the age of 65.
Beckles said that how a country treats its elderly citizens reflects its values.
“As a country, if you think about how people will brand Trinidad and Tobago, it is really how we treat our older people,” she said.
Beckles also stressed that those who abuse elderly people do not represent the wider population.
“The criminals who invade the homes of our elderly, the relatives who exploit a parent’s pension, the people who treat ageing as a weakness to be preyed upon — they do not represent us. They are a violent, predatory minority,” she said. “We are tempted very often to say that Trinidad and Tobago is a place that no longer cares about older people. It is important for us to remember that it is not all of us,”.
Describing World Elder Abuse Awareness Day as “not a day of despair, but a day of resolve,” she called for stronger laws, improved enforcement, increased community vigilance and a culture that refuses to tolerate the mistreatment of older citizens.
She also announced plans to advocate for a national seminar on elder care, bringing together caregivers, healthcare professionals, legal experts, faith-based organisations and advocacy groups to discuss strengthening protections for seniors and supporting families caring for ageing relatives.
The proposed initiative would form part of a broader vision for a society that protects and supports citizens at every stage of life.
“A nation where a child can grow up safe, where a young person can find opportunity, where families can thrive without fear of crime, and where no elder ever has to wonder whether they still matter to the country they helped to build,” she said.
In his address, Parris called on citizens to uphold the ideals of what Trinidad and Tobago. “Let us fight to continue to care for our elderly, look out for one another, and continue on the trajectory of humanity towards our elderly,” said Parris.
