EDITORIAL — No dignity for the elderly

This month the nation marked Elderly Filipino Week from Oct. 1 to 7. Its theme, supposedly meant to recognize the contributions of senior citizens to nation building and promote their well-being, was “Embracing Age: Living a Life with Dignity and Purpose.”

There was no dignity or purpose for the wards in the home for the elderly and persons with disabilities in Bukidnon, where 17 seniors and PWDs were rescued from squalid surroundings on Oct. 11 by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

DSWD personnel said the stink of human waste assaulted them as they entered the facility of the Bukidnon Multi-Sectoral Services Foundation Inc. in Barangay North Poblacion, Maramag town.

The DSWD said the facility was operating illegally, accepting monthly fees of P6,000 to P7,000 from relatives of the elderly and PWDs for their care. Neighbors complained about the stink from the facility and reported hearing the wards often shouting that they were hungry. Yet the facility managed to operate for three years, without a doctor, nurse or caregiver.

While the 17 have been rescued, their fate remains uncertain. The case highlights the acute inadequacy of decent facilities for caring for people from low-income households in the twilight of their years as well as PWDs.

In the past years, there has been significant progress in promoting the welfare of senior citizens and PWDs. Besides discounts in many goods and services, legislation has enhanced mobility for the infirm and minimized discrimination. There is a National Commission of Senior Citizens.

Yet much more remains to be done. Earlier this month, the oldest member of the House of Representatives, 83-year-old Bulacan 6th District Rep. Salvador Pleyto Sr. lamented the “digital and social exclusion” of many senior citizens from government services.

Pleyto pointed out that such seniors are unable on their own to conduct online transactions with government agencies including those in charge of their pensions. Many of these elderly don’t have cell phones and live in areas without WiFi, Pleyto pointed out.

They would be lucky to be living in their own homes, with their families caring for them. There are others, however, who are parked in facilities such as the one in North Poblacion, or worse, simply abandoned in the streets.

With advances in medicine and health care, more people are living longer, but many are in poor health and unable to provide for themselves.

That theme for this year’s Elderly Filipino Week should go beyond a nice government slogan. The state of those seniors and PWDs found in Maramag is anything but dignified. And they are not the only ones in that sad state.