No more long lines for pensioners with electronic system – Social Services Director

Oct 02, 2016 News

Moves to introduce an electronic system for the payment of pensioners are expected to not only improve accountability within the pension system. They are also designed to help address a number of challenges facing elderly folks.

Social Services Director, Mr. Wentworth Tanner

This state of affairs was intimated by Director of Social Services within the Ministry of Social Protection, Mr. Wentworth Tanner.
Tanner said that the Social Protection Ministry has commenced a deliberate campaign aimed at improving the lives of seniors.
Once the electronic payment system is fully developed and launched, he said. “We will be able to make payment (to pensioners) at other locations which will relieve some of the pressure that the post offices are faced with.”
Currently pensioners are required to visit their local Post Offices, monthly, to receive their pension payment. During this time of month many elderly folks are seen standing sometimes for a long time braving sun and at times even rain. Some of the seniors have also complained of not being able to access washrooms while waiting for their pensions.
Although unable to give precise details about the planned electronic system which could include payment through the banking system, Tanner assured that “those long lines that you have been seeing at the post offices will be reduced. We are collaborating with Government agencies that are tasked with providing oversight for all Government information technology systems…so we are working in collaboration with those folks to get our system up and running as soon as possible,” said Tanner.
In its quest to protect seniors, Tanner said that the Ministry has a campaign to sensitise persons about the role they can play in this regard. The Ministry is currently preparing to disseminate bumper stickers and posters to areas that are frequented by seniors.
“Our mantra has always been if you see something, say something…so if you recognise that someone is being taken advantaged of or being abused then they can call numbers that we will publicised,” said the Social Services Director.
“We will send out our messages to as many places as possible…in minibuses, in hospitals, post offices; we will put them in as many places as possible,” related Tanner as he disclosed that “these will have to be accompanied by some sort of support mechanism and that is already in place in case we need to relocate or provide elderly persons with whatever support they may need to live independently.”
According to him, many elderly folks are abused in many forms while in their own homes or those of their family members and efforts must therefore be made to safeguard them.
”If persons see these elderly folks being abused verbally, emotionally or physically, we are encouraging them to call our offices and report these cases, and we will come down and do an investigation.”
At present, persons desirous of reporting cases of abuse perpetrated against the elderly are asked to make contact with the Probation and Social Services Departments that are located in nine of the 10 administrative regions.
Although there is no Department in Region Eight, Tanner noted that this is being addressed, whereby an officer was expected to be in place by the end May.
Tanner’s remarks were forthcoming on the heels of reports published in the media about elderly persons who were abused by their own children and subsequently died.
According to Tanner, not many reports of these abuse cases are reported to the Ministry. He however disclosed that the few that are brought to the attention of the Ministry are cases of neglect, and those cases usually gain the attention of an officer attached to the Palms Geriatric Home.
”Depending on the severity of the situation or depending on exactly what is going on at that time, we would make a decision as to whether we could place that person with a relative or take that person into the Palms or one of our facilities,” Tanner added.
”Once information comes to our attention we act; we call in the Guyana Police Force to deal with assault and work with the abused, elderly persons to see if we can find alternative accommodation or if it is a case where these are persons in the homes, we try to work with the Legal Aid Clinic to ensure that the abuser is removed from that premises,” Tanner noted.
October is the Month of the elderly.
The Ministry of Social Protection launched activities to mark the month on Friday. The Month of the Elderly will be observed under the theme “Taking a Stand Against Ageism.”

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