Older persons demand recognition
Speaking during the Third Annual Older Persons Parliament in Kimberley on October 26, older persons have appealed to government to recognise their special needs in the provision of public services.
From the allocation of free-housing, to access to health care services, the construction of social infrastructure, safety and security, to access to public transport, older persons want government to put them first.
They have requested government to move them up the waiting lists for free housing, provide health care facilities that cater for older persons, create a public transport system that is user-friendly to senior citizens, build residential facilities within the communities they live, as well as have a special policing unit to deal with criminal acts committed against older persons.
On the issue of prioritising older persons for free housing, government has stated that the provision of free houses was aimed at helping those who had suffered under apartheid. Government has also committed to ensuring that within the next few years older persons will be prioritised for housing.
Some older persons speaking during the Older Persons Parliament, for example, have alleged that older persons who need renal dialysis are turned away from public health care facilities because of their age. Government has previously said that age is not a contraindication for chronic renal dialysis.
With regards to social infrastructure, the senior citizens have called for residential facilities for older persons to be built closer to their communities in order to improve access to this important service.
The Ministerial Committee on the Review of the White Paper on Social Welfare, appointed by Social Development Minister – Ms Bathabile Dlamini – has found that the fee barrier and “cultural differences” hamper integration in residential facilities for older persons. The revised White Paper is therefore expected to address this issue.
The older persons have also raised the topical issue of unauthorised deductions from their old age grants by financial companies. To this end, they have requested government to provide personal finance management to them. They have also requested government to establish a single burial fund that older persons will contribute towards.
On public transport, the older persons have requested government to move faster to reform the public transport system to make it safer and more user-friendly to older commuters. They have also requested public transport for older persons to be subsidised.
Government continues to spend a lot of money on providing reliable and modernised bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, such as the ones seen in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.
Another theme that came out strongly during the parliamentary session was that government needed to do more to educate its officials on dealing with older persons.
A number of senior citizens who spoke during the session said that some public officials in various service points seemed to lack understanding of older persons issues and, as a result, sometimes failed to respond adequately to their needs.
The seventh annual National Active Ageing Programme currently taking place – hosted by the Department of Social Development in partnership with the South African Older Persons Forum – and which the Older Persons Parliament forms part of, seeks to create awareness of the socio-cultural needs and interests of older persons.
The Active Ageing Programme, and other government interventions for older persons, have seen South Africa being ranked second in Africa, behind Mauritius, on programmes implemented to secure the wellbeing of older persons by the 2015 Global Age Watch Index.
The Parliament for Older Persons aims to give older persons an opportunity to engage with the executive on critical issues affecting their lives as well as participate in decision-making on issues affecting them.
The idea of a Parliament for Older Persons was conceived through Project Mikondzo – the Department of Social Development’s service delivery improvement programme aimed at responding quicker, more effectively and innovatively to social challenges in the country.
It takes place annually during Social Development Month (October) – a campaign aimed at increasing access to and utilisation of social services through direct intervention by building effective service delivery partnerships between government, communities and other role players.
The issues raised during the Older Persons’ Parliament will be presented by the Department of Social Development to the relevant government departments for consideration and possible intervention.
Media inquiries may be directed to:
Lumka Oliphant
Cell: 083 484 8067
E-mail: lumkao@dsd.gov.za
