From Ageism and Discrimination to Sustainable Development
“Old age hath yet his
honour and his toil.”- Alfred Lord Tennyson
The global population is ageing rapidly. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, by 2030 the number of people age 60 and over is expected to increase from 901 million to 1.4 billion. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) most developed world countries have accepted the chronological age of 65 years as a definition of ‘elderly’ or older person, but like many Westernized concepts, this does not adapt well to the situation in Africa. The WHO states that while this definition is arbitrary, it is many times associated with the age at which one can begin to receive pension benefits. At the moment, there is no United Nations standard numerical criterion, but the UN agreed cutoff is 60 + years to refer to the older population. The ageing process is a biological reality. Age discrimination is real and happens in almost every society and in every profession. In many instances once you are 50 years or older your chances of getting a promotion decreases significantly. In some jurisdictions there are legislation to address age discrimination, unfortunately in most developing and underdeveloped society there is no such protection or safety net for the aged. It is important to note that the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) recognizes that development will only be achievable if it is inclusive of all ages. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 10 speaks to the reduction of inequality within and among countries. Target 10:2 of SDG #10 states “by 2030 empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status.” While many heads of government travel annually to New York to represent their country’s progress towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, very few have attained that inclusiveness in society. Sadly, for too many countries inclusiveness is still a far way too. The issue of ageing is very close to home. As the primary person with oversight for the healthcare giving for my father Fitzroy age 85 my knowledge is a firsthand account of how important it is for me to empower him and provide opportunities for him to be useful and productive in and around the home. It bares thought without my dad having these opportunities to feel a part of the family and the wider community his health would have deteriorated faster. It is critical that we empower older persons in all dimensions of development, including promoting their active participation in the social, economic and political spheres in order to reduce inequalities. Regrettably, too often the issues of concerns to older persons are not readily discussed. Additionally, when such issues are deliberated they are not given the attention they deserve. Jamaica has a long way to go to effectively tackle ageism. In Jamaica there is a Green Paper on the National Policy for Senior Citizens. It says, “the programmes and initiatives of the senior citizen have been governed by the landmark National Policy for Senior Citizens (1997), which is administered through the National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC) under the governance of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The 2011 Population and Housing Census for Jamaica identifies 323, 500 Jamaicans as aged sixty (60) years and above as senior citizens representing almost 12 per cent of the total population. In 2015 the Economic Social Survey of Jamaica (ESSJ) published that the cohort of Jamaicans age 60 and over amounted to 241,200 of the population representing 12.6 per cent of the populace. To make matters worse Jamaicans are not saving as much as we ought to. This disturbing fact was revealed in a World Bank study. The World Bank indicates that the Jamaican Gross National Savings, as a percentage of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2016, was 7.8 per cent. The Bahamas the figure was 19.2 per cent while St. Kitts and Nevis the figure stood at 26.5 per cent and for China it was 46.5 per cent. It is evident that Jamaica’s population is ageing which is similar to what is taking place on the international scene. This trend clearly points to the unique challenges which the society must first realize and secondly work to address. As a result of advances in technology and medicine people are living longer and are living more productive lives. Two of the most pressing challenges of growing old are affordable housing and the burgeoning cost of health care and prescription drugs.
Affordable Housing
The online source The Economic Times defines affordable housing as housing units that are affordable by that section of society whose income is below the median household income. In other words affordable housing should address the housing needs of the middle and lower income households. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) states that families who pay more than thirty (30) per cent of their income for housing are considered cost burdened and may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care. HUD acknowledges that an estimated 12 million renter and homeowner households now pay more than fifty per cent of their annual income for housing. In Jamaica the situation regarding home ownership is dire. In an article published in the Sunday Gleaner of June 3, 2018 it was revealed that 500,000 to 1 million Jamaicans are squatters. In the same article it stated, the government was preparing to spend $37 million to undertake a comprehensive census to determine the number of squatters and to assess the characteristics and scope of informal settlements in Jamaica. Squatting is the illegal occupation of land. This is a cause for concern for successive governments; however, nothing tangible has been enforced yet to discourage the practice. We must examine the reality in Jamaica. The minimum wage is $7, 000 and the daily wage is $1, 650. This therefore means that a significant section of the skilled and unskilled population are not earning enough to benefit from the National Housing Trust (NHT). It gets even worse even professionals such as nurses and teachers cannot afford to purchase a home on their own. Therefore when many of these Jamaicans get to old age the lack of affordable housing is a serious issue. Many Jamaicans are destitute and have to choose between paying rent or purchasing food and medication. Unsurprisingly many resort to finding somewhere to occupy and join the thousands who are already squatting in the many informal settlements across Jamaica. Additionally, only 9:19 per cent of Jamaicans employed are covered by a private pension scheme, this according to the Financial Services Commission (FSC). Growing old in Jamaica is rather scary!
National Health Insurance
Jamaica does not have a universal health insurance scheme for its citizens. The lack of a national insurance programme for all Jamaicans runs counter to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #10 of inclusiveness in society. As a result many Jamaicans, especially older Jamaicans are excluded from accessing health care which is costly. Successive governments since Independence in 1962 have given lip service regarding the need for a national insurance scheme. Sadly, this is still a dream. We live in an age where more and more people are living beyond three scores and ten. With longevity comes the possibility of being diagnosed with non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancers. With equitable access to healthcare the quality of our lives will be greatly diminished as we age. The society and indeed the international community continue to marginalize older persons. This is unacceptable especially in an age of modernity. A society which fails to put in place a comprehensive national healthcare system and affordable housing will not be able to achieve sustainable development for all. Whether you admit to it or not we are all marching towards old age. Our policy makers need to redouble their efforts in ensuring that there is neither inequality nor discrimination against older Jamaicans. There is an urgent need to engage the society with the aim of returning to the culture in which respect of the aged was evident and promoted through all aspects of our culture. Our stakeholders are tasked with an awesome but not impossible responsibility to ensure that the quality of life for Jamaicans sixty over (60) years is as comfortable as humanly possible.
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
The global population is ageing rapidly. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, by 2030 the number of people age 60 and over is expected to increase from 901 million to 1.4 billion. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) most developed world countries have accepted the chronological age of 65 years as a definition of ‘elderly’ or older person, but like many Westernized concepts, this does not adapt well to the situation in Africa. The WHO states that while this definition is arbitrary, it is many times associated with the age at which one can begin to receive pension benefits. At the moment, there is no United Nations standard numerical criterion, but the UN agreed cutoff is 60 + years to refer to the older population. The ageing process is a biological reality. Age discrimination is real and happens in almost every society and in every profession. In many instances once you are 50 years or older your chances of getting a promotion decreases significantly. In some jurisdictions there are legislation to address age discrimination, unfortunately in most developing and underdeveloped society there is no such protection or safety net for the aged. It is important to note that the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) recognizes that development will only be achievable if it is inclusive of all ages. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 10 speaks to the reduction of inequality within and among countries. Target 10:2 of SDG #10 states “by 2030 empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status.” While many heads of government travel annually to New York to represent their country’s progress towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, very few have attained that inclusiveness in society. Sadly, for too many countries inclusiveness is still a far way too. The issue of ageing is very close to home. As the primary person with oversight for the healthcare giving for my father Fitzroy age 85 my knowledge is a firsthand account of how important it is for me to empower him and provide opportunities for him to be useful and productive in and around the home. It bares thought without my dad having these opportunities to feel a part of the family and the wider community his health would have deteriorated faster. It is critical that we empower older persons in all dimensions of development, including promoting their active participation in the social, economic and political spheres in order to reduce inequalities. Regrettably, too often the issues of concerns to older persons are not readily discussed. Additionally, when such issues are deliberated they are not given the attention they deserve. Jamaica has a long way to go to effectively tackle ageism. In Jamaica there is a Green Paper on the National Policy for Senior Citizens. It says, “the programmes and initiatives of the senior citizen have been governed by the landmark National Policy for Senior Citizens (1997), which is administered through the National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC) under the governance of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The 2011 Population and Housing Census for Jamaica identifies 323, 500 Jamaicans as aged sixty (60) years and above as senior citizens representing almost 12 per cent of the total population. In 2015 the Economic Social Survey of Jamaica (ESSJ) published that the cohort of Jamaicans age 60 and over amounted to 241,200 of the population representing 12.6 per cent of the populace. To make matters worse Jamaicans are not saving as much as we ought to. This disturbing fact was revealed in a World Bank study. The World Bank indicates that the Jamaican Gross National Savings, as a percentage of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2016, was 7.8 per cent. The Bahamas the figure was 19.2 per cent while St. Kitts and Nevis the figure stood at 26.5 per cent and for China it was 46.5 per cent. It is evident that Jamaica’s population is ageing which is similar to what is taking place on the international scene. This trend clearly points to the unique challenges which the society must first realize and secondly work to address. As a result of advances in technology and medicine people are living longer and are living more productive lives. Two of the most pressing challenges of growing old are affordable housing and the burgeoning cost of health care and prescription drugs.
Affordable Housing
The online source The Economic Times defines affordable housing as housing units that are affordable by that section of society whose income is below the median household income. In other words affordable housing should address the housing needs of the middle and lower income households. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) states that families who pay more than thirty (30) per cent of their income for housing are considered cost burdened and may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care. HUD acknowledges that an estimated 12 million renter and homeowner households now pay more than fifty per cent of their annual income for housing. In Jamaica the situation regarding home ownership is dire. In an article published in the Sunday Gleaner of June 3, 2018 it was revealed that 500,000 to 1 million Jamaicans are squatters. In the same article it stated, the government was preparing to spend $37 million to undertake a comprehensive census to determine the number of squatters and to assess the characteristics and scope of informal settlements in Jamaica. Squatting is the illegal occupation of land. This is a cause for concern for successive governments; however, nothing tangible has been enforced yet to discourage the practice. We must examine the reality in Jamaica. The minimum wage is $7, 000 and the daily wage is $1, 650. This therefore means that a significant section of the skilled and unskilled population are not earning enough to benefit from the National Housing Trust (NHT). It gets even worse even professionals such as nurses and teachers cannot afford to purchase a home on their own. Therefore when many of these Jamaicans get to old age the lack of affordable housing is a serious issue. Many Jamaicans are destitute and have to choose between paying rent or purchasing food and medication. Unsurprisingly many resort to finding somewhere to occupy and join the thousands who are already squatting in the many informal settlements across Jamaica. Additionally, only 9:19 per cent of Jamaicans employed are covered by a private pension scheme, this according to the Financial Services Commission (FSC). Growing old in Jamaica is rather scary!
National Health Insurance
Jamaica does not have a universal health insurance scheme for its citizens. The lack of a national insurance programme for all Jamaicans runs counter to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #10 of inclusiveness in society. As a result many Jamaicans, especially older Jamaicans are excluded from accessing health care which is costly. Successive governments since Independence in 1962 have given lip service regarding the need for a national insurance scheme. Sadly, this is still a dream. We live in an age where more and more people are living beyond three scores and ten. With longevity comes the possibility of being diagnosed with non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancers. With equitable access to healthcare the quality of our lives will be greatly diminished as we age. The society and indeed the international community continue to marginalize older persons. This is unacceptable especially in an age of modernity. A society which fails to put in place a comprehensive national healthcare system and affordable housing will not be able to achieve sustainable development for all. Whether you admit to it or not we are all marching towards old age. Our policy makers need to redouble their efforts in ensuring that there is neither inequality nor discrimination against older Jamaicans. There is an urgent need to engage the society with the aim of returning to the culture in which respect of the aged was evident and promoted through all aspects of our culture. Our stakeholders are tasked with an awesome but not impossible responsibility to ensure that the quality of life for Jamaicans sixty over (60) years is as comfortable as humanly possible.
“Wisdom is with the aged,
and understanding in length of days.”- Job 12:12
Wayne Campbell is an
educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as
they affect culture and or gender issues.waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
#HealthyAgeing
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