Elderly abandoned at Hospital in Antigua

Minister says families only visit to have them sign retirement checks.

In a troubling development, elderly people who are considered medically healthy are being housed at Sir Lester Bird Medical Center in Antigua, as their families have seemingly abandoned them.

Medical officials say these elderly individuals have no medical issues and could live in their homes or with their families.

However, due to neglect and abandonment, they have no option but to seek refuge at the medical center.

Information Minister Melford Nicholas expressed his concern over the situation to local reporters at the weekly Cabinet Press Briefing.

He said while the Fiennes Institute can house some of the elderly, the numbers are just too high.

“This is a challenge because legally, the question of confining someone to Fiennes may have to be considered, but the volume of persons that have been suggested to the government.

Nicholas said the government has plans to construct a home for the elderly and the aged, but the resources are not yet available.

“What this says is that there is a social problem. There is something that’s culturally sipped into the way society takes care of our age”, he said

He said even at Fiennes, these people were just left in the care of the facility

“They do not receive a visit, even if they have active competent relatives on the island. They only receive a visit when they have to sign their retirement checks. Regrettably, people are prepared to abandon their loved ones…and then he only interests in them to exploit the remaining financial resources available to them,” he said

Nicholas suggested that the government could potentially explore the possibility of revising existing laws to hold family members accountable for abandoning their elderly relatives.