Where are the next of kin?

Oct 31, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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…Peeping Tom

Kaieteur News- There’s a troubling headline I came across recently, and, trust me, it wasn’t “Meteorite Misses Earth.” The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has reported that 25 bodies have been lying in its mortuary, presumably abandoned. These aren’t people who tragically lost their wallets and simply couldn’t afford a taxi to their final resting place. No, these are elderly people, dead, waiting for relatives who seem to have misplaced the calendar day when “picking up grandfather’s remains” was marked.

And, if the situation weren’t macabre enough, it’s not only the dead being abandoned but the living too. Sick, elderly patients are being taken to the hospital, perhaps with a lot of gentle encouragement from the people they loved and trusted, only to be left behind after treatment, forgotten like leftovers on the back shelf of the fridge.

Now, this isn’t something we can overlook with the tried-and-tested wisdom that “things will get better.” When the abandoned dead start outnumbering the abandoned living, it’s time for a little self-reflection. What does it say about a society that leaves its weakest members alone in sterile, tiled rooms with nothing but the cold, fluorescent hum of indifference as company? Let’s be honest: it says a lot about how far we’ve strayed from human decency.

The problem isn’t just logistical—though I can’t imagine it’s easy for a hospital mortuary to deal with backlogged bodies. It’s the moral erosion that should keep us up at night. We’ve become a society that would sooner tweet “Feeling blessed!” than lift a finger to show actual compassion. And when the people who spent their lives helping, loving, and raising us can be neglected, it’s more than just a failing of individual families. It’s an issue that demands a structural solution.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Not another call for backlogged!” But hear me out. If there’s one area where government intervention wouldn’t just be acceptable but absolutely necessary, it’s in creating a compassionate infrastructure for the elderly and sick. Look, we’re already paying for enough highways; why not direct some of that budget toward places that can actually make a difference?

Consider this: small, manageable, dispersed homes for the aged. These wouldn’t be the gloomy institutions with bad lighting, TV reruns, and questionable soup. Instead, let’s imagine cozy, dignified homes where seniors can live with some semblance of humanity. These homes would be scattered throughout communities, not tucked away like we’re ashamed of them, allowing families to visit more conveniently—assuming, of course, they can remember where their relatives live.

A small, localized approach to aged care does wonders. It creates jobs within communities, meaning local caregivers, nurses, and aides can work close to home. It eases the burden on hospitals, where wards for the elderly are often overwhelmed. And, importantly, it preserves the dignity of the elderly by not treating them like social debris to be swept under the rug of societal neglect.

Now, let’s talk hospices for the sick. I know, “hospice” sounds like a terrible word. You picture bleak rooms and long corridors, but that’s not the idea here. A well-run hospice can be a place where people receive compassionate care, where the pain and difficulty of illness are met with understanding, not just morphine. Hospices take on the burden of caring for those in their final stages, providing families with the support they need instead of expecting them to muddle through as if they’re capable of handling every physical, emotional, and psychological demand of terminal care.

But what about the people who aren’t ready to be warehoused, even in the nicest of settings? Here’s where a third, rather obvious solution comes in: home care. In a world with delivery services for eat out, is it so impossible to imagine a service where trained nurse aides make regular visits to the homes of those in need? This way, elderly or sick individuals can continue living where they are most comfortable, where everything is familiar, and where, let’s face it, they can still control the remote.

These small steps aren’t just about easing burdens or passing responsibilities. They’re about reviving the spirit of empathy, breathing life back into a society that has, frankly, become a bit soulless.  Doing nothing means allowing this erosion of compassion to continue. It means more elderly people lying in mortuaries without a single mourner. It means more sick individuals left to fend for themselves when they most need help. And in a time when we’re so focused on advancement, on economic growth, on technology, have we stopped to ask if we’re advancing in the things that matter most?

So, let’s stop abandoning our elders and our sick to empty wards and unvisited graves. Instead, let’s create a world where every life—right up to its very end—is treated as something worthy of dignity.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)   

 

 

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• backlogged, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, headline, logistical

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